


Clashing Convergence

by ROGUEFURY



Series: Twin Stars [2]
Category: DBZ - Fandom, Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Super, Dragon Ball Z
Genre: ATS Sequel, Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Adult Content, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Comedy, Dimension Travel, Divergent Timelines, Drama & Romance, Emotional Tether(s), Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fantasy, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Gen, Gratuitous Smut, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Mild Blood, OTP Feels, Piccolo/OFC - Freeform, Piccolo/Sofia, Realm Hopping, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Self-Discovery, Sex, Sexual Content, Sexual Humor, Sexual Tension, Shameless Smut, Slow Burn, Smut, Time Travel, Transformation, twin stars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-15 21:29:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 277,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28945194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ROGUEFURY/pseuds/ROGUEFURY
Summary: Three years have passed. All the training in the world cannot help the twin stars navigate the chaos, strife and fallout of the bioengineered threats created by Dr. Gero. The battles lead to clashes that threaten to splinter their bond, but will the twin stars converge against the trials and tribulations? Or will their love erode under the pressure. Sequel to A Twin Star.
Relationships: Android 18/Krillin (Dragon Ball), Bulma Briefs/Vegeta, Chi-Chi/Son Goku (Dragon Ball), Goku/Chi-chi, Piccolo/OC, Piccolo/OFC, Vegeta/Bulma
Series: Twin Stars [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2123013
Comments: 37
Kudos: 13





	1. Trained Convictions

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and all of the characters within (minus Sofia) are all owned and created by Akira Toriyama, Toei Animation, FujiTV and Funimation. Please support the official releases, and enjoy this story inspired by the amazing universe and cast of characters.
> 
> Author's note: This has been a long time coming, so I hope everyone who read [A Twin Star](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15899766/chapters/37056519) rejoice and read how our tumultuous twin stars, Piccolo and Sofia, navigate the conflicts to come! PS - Someone brought to my attention that my overall font choice was cumbersome to read, so some of you will notice I'm changing the font narration types a bit. Bonus: Someone actually said they'd like a playlist of the music Sofia listens to, so I made one. If you listen as you read the chapters, you'll have certain music references I use as markers, so you'll have an idea of when she's listening to certain songs: [Twin Star Mix](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3ErHOTo5D7vkaV3bLnQaDG?si=iEYxETn_Ro-n7iHTb34XZw)

"Speech" 'Telepathy' _Thought *_ _Reminiscing*_

Transcendence. She never really understood what it meant when people spoke of transcending into something – into a state of being that eclipsed everything they knew before. It was a concept she had never grasped until she had stood above the edge of the world, with her twin star by her side, and left behind all the angst, loneliness and pain of her past to gaze ahead at the future.

A future that most recently comprised the three years before the Androids were supposed to show up and plunge the people of Earth into desolation and chaos. The future Trunks had deemed too terrible to allow to become reality within the present timeline. Three not-so-long years filled with the imposing weight of her knowledge beyond the scope of everyone around her, but also filled with a belonging she cherished and decided she'd do whatever in her power to protect. The power she'd grown to hone within herself eclipsed all fear.

Sofia stood on the precipice of the unknown in the moments when doubt would worm its way past her resolve, which usually occurred in the quiet moments when it was just her and her thoughts.

A moment quite like this one.

Gazing across the brilliant horizon as dusk slowly tugged across the sky, her eyes adjusted to the dying glare while the wayward breeze of the arid desert landscape tussled her hair about. She had lost herself to the idle replaying of moments she'd experienced over the three years training with Earth's greatest defenders. Endearingly, she recalled all the progress towards growth and camaraderie between the unlikely foursome of friends within the sanctum of Mt. Paozu and beyond. The wonderful and exhilarating sparring sessions paled in comparison to the contentment she felt at being part of something bigger than herself, and sharing that domain with people she admired and respected.

From getting one-on-one pointers on energy attack techniques from Goku, to helping Gohan both in battle prowess and homeschool lessons, to spending time with Chi-Chi around the farm and helping her with chores, Sofia relished being an almost-adopted member of the Son family. There was no guile or expectations tied to her assimilation into the intimate family unit. Nothing had ever changed more drastically in her life than the inclusivity she felt, an inclusivity she now evoked as she smiled at the thoughts that wandered to the love that radiated in her mind's eye at reliving all her moments with Piccolo.

Her twin star and she had managed to somehow keep their true relationship – in all its torrid and affectionate facets – under wraps from the Son family. A feat she always was amazed by, considering how much she and he spent time together and how the moment they were both alone, they spent in complete consummate union. _How have we NOT slipped up is beyond me_ , she thought ruefully, shaking her head and snickering.

This isn't to say they spent their intimate moments in total carnal desire only.

On many occasions when the Son family spent quality time together, Piccolo would take her on excursions across the vast landscapes and terrains of the Earth, showing her a world so unlike her old one, yet somehow still eerily similar. They flew across countries and experienced shared moments of discovery; from the time she helped him enjoy the wonders of a piece of chocolate, to the dazzling spectacle of the Aurora Borealis over a sunset sky, to the silly shenanigans he'd begrudgingly put up with when she used her telekinetic powers as parlor tricks during street performances in exotic locales in order to barter keepsakes she'd use to decorate their cave – nothing came close to how they grew closer and in sync with each other over the course of the three years. Sofia doubted anything could ever come between the bond they'd formed, and she felt warm and fulfilled in that very moment.

While her love for him was absolute, that did not mean she didn't relish in keeping pace with his strength and battle proficiency. She'd eagerly and resolutely taken it upon herself to extend her unique powers in ways she thought would not only be valuable in times of desperation, but that would also flummox her twin star in being totally impressed with her ingenuity. _I can't wait to blow his mind with the techniques and skills I've developed in my solo training—even he won't be able to hide how impressed he is…and maybe he'll finally sweep me off my feet and show everyone how much he's stupid-in-love with me!_ She snickered to herself, thinking of the abilities she'd been honing during the periods of solitary training each of the foursome would partake in, venturing off for a few hours of their days to develop new energy attacks and battle tactics for the fighting to come. Piccolo was the most notorious of the group when it came to going off on his own, while the others would sometimes train together or help each other work on their techniques.

Smiling, she couldn't help the surge of pride warm her chest as she thought of all the ways she could use her power to help. The anxiety of the upcoming battle was still present, but her excitement kept her clearheaded.

Crimson stare faraway in thought, she didn't register his arrival until he came over to sit next to her on the rocky bluff and his cape fluttered down behind him.

"Why am I not surprised to find you here?"

Glancing sideways and smiling ruefully, Sofia tucked her long fluttering bang behind her ear before leaning her shoulder affectionately into his side. "You're not the only one with a loner streak that calls you away from the homies, babe," she snickered, earning a grunt from the stoic fighter before he adjusted in his casual sitting pose in order for her to rest sidelong again him. "Now that I'm telepathically synced with Goku and Gohan, it's hard to think without hearing their stray thoughts. I'm far enough that I can't hear 'em out here," she explained offhandedly before tilting her head so she could brush a kiss along his jaw. "And where have you been?"

"Training; there's only so many techniques we can each hone on our own when we're not all sparring. I can't help feel like there's so much more I could've done to prepare…I could've gotten faster, and stronger. What if it isn't enough…" the brooding Namek mused, his gaze unfocused at the horizon ahead before Sofia's giggle stirred his onyx stare back to her. "What?"

"Did you know you look so sexy when you're surly and brooding about things you can't control?" she teased, sweetly bopping the tip of his nose as she drawled, "Your nostrils flare so cutely—"

Rolling his eyes, Piccolo persisted. "Sure, we've spent the last few months training more and more on our own to hone our individual techniques, and that's helped each of us reach plateaus in power unlike anything we've been able to accomplish together…I just don't know—"

"Sure you do! You just gotta get full circle in the training. And you know what that means, right?" Sofia chirped flirtatiously, earning a sweatdrop and wary glance from the usually terse fighter.

"…And what's that?" Piccolo ventured, his baritone flat, but betraying intrigue.

"You and me doing the horizontal mambo!" Sofia declared glibly, causing Piccolo to fall backwards in mortification. "Oh c'mon! It's the natural conclusion, sugar lips—"

"Oh, quit the flirting!" he barked huffily after recovering, adding in a hard tone, "I'm being serious. We've trained for three years straight, and I just don't know if it's going to cut it." Sofia's enthusiasm sobered as she sighed and went back to staring at the horizon. Piccolo exhaled and encircled her waist, waning in his gruff brooding. "Sorry…"

Caressing the hand around her waist, she leaned lovingly against him and murmured, "Don't be. I think about it a lot. How you guys must feel at not knowing what's coming your way but knowing I _do_ know…I want so badly to tell you what's coming…to just draw a diagram play-by-play for you so there's no surprises—"

"You can't. No matter how much we might want you to," Piccolo interjected, watching as she pulled his cape around herself before cuddling protectively against him. "Sofia," when she avoided his gaze, Piccolo squeezed her to him reassuringly. "Look at me," he murmured, earning her to glance openly up into his chiseled emerald features. "I trust you. All you have to do is help when things require intervention. The less we all know, the better to reduce the chances of events branching off differently or detrimentally to the natural progression of things. It's just…I can't help shake off worrying that I didn't push myself enough—"

Leaning up and kissing his rambling train of thought away, Sofia wrapped her arms around his weighted shoulder pads and let him pull her onto his lap when he deepened the kiss.

'That's a dirty trick,' Piccolo growled telepathically at her as he tightened his grip around her waist, deepening the French kiss expertly.

'You love it,' she purred right back, hands coming up to cup his face as she pulled away and gazed into his attempt at a scowl, eyes glowing scintillatingly at him.

"Feh," he huffed and tried very hard to not fixate on the feeling of her thinly weighted clothes barely concealing her radiating body heat as she pressed firmly against him and enticingly smiled at him. "You better get back for dinner. I'll wait up for you at the usual spot," he murmured smoothly, earning a sweatdrop from her.

 _Ugh, how is he NOT jumping my bones already?! It's been sooooo long…_ She inwardly frowned as she peeled herself away from him in order for him to stand and pull her effortlessly up.

"Aka, 'go back and let me train more by myself for awhile,' huh," she griped comically and teetered on the balls of her feet. "You _could_ be training with me in bed instead," she suddenly sing-sung as she posed in a statuesque way, adjusting her asymmetrical top to show a tease of shoulder and clavicle before absently trailing her hand down the curve of her hourglass figure. "Whaddayah say, Piccolo~? Just you, and me, and a few hours to relieve all your pent up frustrations?" she propositioned with a smoky lilt to her tone before blowing him a kiss.

Blinking at the display, Piccolo shook his head and fought a blush as he stalked towards her, turned her around, and nudged her in the direction of Mt. Paozu as he snapped, "Would you stop being a crazy woman and go before they come out looking for you and find you and me doing something Gohan is too young to see and Goku is too daft to witness?!"

"Tch!" Sofia scowled and dug her heels in. "Alright, fine! I just hope you know I'm accommodating your prudish ways for only so long before my patience wears thin and I just pounce on you, is that clear?" she turned and halted his nudging with a firm palm pressed to the center of his chest. "Is it?"

Rolling his eyes, Piccolo surprised her when he suddenly whisked her into his arms, dipped her, and kissed her so passionately that it curled her Capsule Corp boot-styled toes and made her melt.

'It's crystal clear, you insatiable temptress…'

* * *

It was days like these that I wished for the three years before the Androids arrived to go in slow-mo!

Sure, that would be totally selfish and implausible, but after the fulfilling day I'd had, I couldn't help start to get anxious about the impending battle that felt more palpably imminent with each passing day. Truth be told, I'd gotten really content and comfortable in the routine and lifestyle we'd all fallen into in preparation for the coming saga with the Androids. Even though a good part of that lifestyle involved Piccolo and I sneaking around and keeping our relationship under wraps from the Son family, it was actually something I'd become cool with. After all, it was like what we had together was so special and precious – okay, I know, super lovey dovey – that it would cease being so if we shared it with anyone else. But I digress—my life these few years had been filled with love, peace, and companionship, and the closer we were getting to having to face the Android threat, the more it felt like all of that would change. Just because I know what's supposed to happen event-wise in this timeline, doesn't mean I knew how I would fit into it and what things would become for me getting involved in the series of events. Would there be a chance for things to return to the bliss and solace of life here among my friends and with Piccolo? Could we make it through the nexus of uncertainty without tripping up things and causing divergence in occurrences to come?

How would Piccolo and I change?

Wait – I'm doing it again! Let me not get ahead of myself. What I should do is probably tell you how the last almost three years have been with the Mt. Paozu crew! Surprise: it's been AWESOME! But seriously – if you'd told me at the start of this whole journey when I'd toppled through the mirror into this realm that I'd found the place I always belonged, let ALONE that it was a realm where I would find my literal soulmate in scrumptiously debonair Piccolo, I'd have fallen on my ass laughing. Or maybe I would've flipped you off for trying to sell me a story, but hey – here I am, looking back and still pinching myself.

Speaking of pinching myself, after Piccolo literally kissed me silly, I had a hard time flying back to the Son cottage without a huge stupid grin on my face and my heart fluttering at the instant replay I kept looping in my mind of all the sexy and wonderful things Piccolo had made me feel. He had the ability to send excited shivers down my spine by just looking at me in a certain way. Hell – he'd basically been monk-level concentrated lately, almost on the same level as he was before he'd gone from asexual to sexual, so that hungry and ardent kiss he laid on me had me zigzagging through the sky with heart eyes on full blast.

 _Gauh! Good God, get a grip, girl! You can't waltz into the house and let Gohan see you in the love-crush drunk state,_ I snapped at myself as I shook my head clear of all the fawning and raunchy thoughts my twin star had ignited. _I'll get back at the sexy Namek for getting me all hot and bothered later…_

With that silly thought, I landed in the middle of the front yard and was immediately met by Chi-Chi as she almost fell backwards after turning the corner with her basket full of veg from the back garden from my sudden arrival. I phased over and caught her and the basket though. "Yikes! Sorry about that, Chi!" I offered and grinned, carrying the full basket easily in one hand for her.

"I swear, I'm just never going to get used to people dropping in from the sky, even after all these years," she remarked in a silly huff as she righted her apron while ruefully shaken her head. "You're a bit early – I haven't started dinner yet—"

"Awwww! Dinner isn't ready? But I'm staaaarving!" Goku whined as he and Gohan appeared from the placid sky before he hovered down and landed with a frown as he clutched his grumbling stomach.

Gohan was in toe and landed by his father's side, scraped and dirty from a full day of sparring. "But we ate a post-lunch snack just a little while ago, Dad," he commented wide-eyed at his father, who lamely pouted.

"But that was a while ago—"

"C'mon, Kakarot – you can have a pre-dinner snack while Chi-Chi and I cook!" I cut in and led the way into the house, floating the basket to the counter so I could go over to the sink to wash my hands. "It ain't gonna kill you to wait a few, right?"

"That's right! Now you two go wash up, or no dessert!" Chi-Chi ordered in her admonishing tone as she came over and took the spot at the sink as I dried my hands and began prepping the counter for our two-woman gourmet tag teaming of the bountiful meal required to keep a Saiyan and demi-Saiyan fed.

Seriously, watching those two chow down on TV doesn't do the spectacle justice. It was pretty fantastic to watch Goku go in on a meal like he hadn't eaten in days. Gohan wasn't as gluttonous as his father, but he ate with just as much gusto.

Within a short while, with a quick snack of dumplings we whipped up to hold him over already in Goku's belly, the first course of veggie stew was ready and the boys were digging in while Chi-Chi started the noodles for the next course.

"So, how was your training, Sofia? Yah know I'm dying to see what you've been working on," Goku asked between a mouthful of stew and rice, cheeks puffed out comically as he munched away.

"Hey – you don't want to be on the receiving end of the stuff I've been coming up with, bub," I joked, wiggling my long pointy-nailed fingers at him spookily as I stirred with one hand and used my telekinesis to clear the table of the dirty bowls to make room for the next round of tableware.

"Augh, really?! You gotta try 'em out next time we spar! No holding out on me, alright?" Goku joked right back before gulping down some water and sighing with contentment.

"Well, there is one thing I've wanted to try out again on yah. I think I finally got it tweaked just right to be the perfect charge up for—" I began to ponder out loud before Chi-Chi huffed and gave me the side-eye. "Oops – sorry. You're right. No talking battle and training at the dinner table," I grinned sheepishly at her and continued zipping around the kitchen to help her complete the main course.

"That's right. And that goes for you too, Goku!" she chided her husband, who was about to whine until she placed a heaping bowl of noodles in front of him before repeating the action with Gohan.

Diving with gusto into the meal, Goku nodded vigorously in agreement with his wife while Gohan slurped away on the broth in his bowl.

 _If only it were that easy to get Piccolo wrapped around my finger,_ I goofily thought to myself, mindful to keep my telepathic shield up from the exceptional father and son duo before me, lest they hear my stray thoughts.

Oh yeah, that was still pretty new – the being able to telepathically connect to Goku and Gohan. It had been a real trip when I first heard Goku ponder about something and I slowly realized he wasn't speaking out loud. Luckily, unlike my rapport with Piccolo, it was still pretty delicate and only really occurred when I was in close proximity to either Goku or Gohan, and it seemed a little more difficult for them to pick up on hearing me telepathically. Still – I always wanted to be careful around them, so I shielded my thoughts unless I really wanted to reach out to them for something.

'Psst, Gohan,' I prodded telepathically, and when I felt the soft tug of our rapport engage and his eyes glanced up at me from his bowl, I continued, 'Did you still want me to read from that book? I know it's in Spanish, but I can translate it—'

'Oh yeah! Can you read it without translating it? I wanna see how much I can understand of it now just from hearing it,' Gohan chirped. His enthusiasm for wanting to learn more expert levels of Spanish warmed my heart. He was so bright and eager to learn, but when he'd asked me to teach him Spanish – astutely telling Chi-Chi that knowing another language would help him on his college entrance application one day – I was touched. It was such a fulfilling feeling to have someone I cared for and respected wanting to learn something from me. It made me feel valued, which even after all this time, was still a novel thing for me…but I cherished it deeply.

Smiling, I nodded at him, unable to hide my happy-go-lucky, albeit silly joy at sitting with the family—my friends to partake in more conversation.

The congenial warmth was definitely contagious, leaving me in a content glow throughout the rest of the night when I read to Gohan, then helped Chi-Chi clean up while we chatted with Goku until it was time for bed. As I lay on my bedroll in the living room and keenly listened for everyone to doze off in their rooms, I let my mind wander over the upcoming battles that for some reason didn't scare me. Sure, you could blame it on me knowing what was gonna happen, but still…I was really more afraid of not knowing how I fit into the mix. What if things went off script – even minutely – and anything I did made it worse than better? Could I guide things back on track without getting too involved in events I wasn't meant to be part of?

 _What if there's more to it, and it's beyond my comprehension to figure out—_ The thought sprung in my mind and was cut off as I remembered something Piccolo had told me in a moment of post-coital riffing the last time we'd made love.

_*No matter what, I'll be there to help you figure it out. We'll figure it out together, Sofia.*_

I closed my eyes and took a cleansing breath, feeling the warmth and relief of knowing Piccolo had my back in this wash over me.

Once the home was in complete slumber, I made my move – slipping out of the house stealthily like I'd done thousands of times over the 3-year span for direct route to my twin star. I blame the stubborn focus and zeal of training on Piccolo and I not getting hot and heavy for Kami knows how long now, but I was pretty sure that would finally change tonight. Truth be told – as I floated upwards before jetting off into the cool night, I thought to myself, _If we don't get to it tonight, I'm liable to jumping his bones in front of errbody! Yep…that yummy, sexy thang is gonna pick up the carnal training tonight, for sure…_

* * *

Replaying the way he pulled his lips away from hers and smirked at her when her eyes glinted like glazed rubies under the setting sun, Piccolo laid under the starlit sky that gleamed brightly through the canopy of leaves and vines of the trees overhead, wishing so badly that he had the ability to sense her energy. He figured she'd gone back to the cottage in her enticed state and was thinking of him and the things he wanted to do to her, having to hide her more-than-likely salacious thoughts from Goku and Gohan, which would only add to her frustrations; a mounting frustration that had grown after weeks of the twin stars not being together intimately.

Truth be told, Piccolo found his conviction slipping every time she smiled at him or made a sultry petition. He also found his willpower lacking when it came to keeping his thoughts sex-free. Whether it was reminiscing on past carnal delights with his twin star, or fantasizing about new sensual exploits he wanted to share with her, the disciplined Namekian warrior and current Demon King would have to internally admonish himself for his lack of resolve at keeping celibate for the duration of not only their remaining training time in preparation of the Android threat, but the undefined future until the threat was eliminated. He'd avoided discussing the matter with Sofia and the inevitable haranguing she'd give him for wanting to abstain as an exercise in increasing his focus on the battle ahead.

Thankfully, Goku and Gohan had kicked up their training regiments to the full week – eliminating the Family Day that had been their weekly reward and the haven for the twin stars to go off on their own – and encouraging an environment of martial arts focus on the battle to come.

Clearly though, Sofia was not keen on remaining chaste and focused on the battle ahead. He wondered if that was because she knew what was coming and wasn't worried about the outcome, which meant it was a positive one where they'd destroy the Androids and ensure the peace of their timeline, or if she just didn't give a damn and the outcome was so bad that she wanted to get in as much lovemaking with him as possible. That thought earned an acerbic grunt from him as he stretched out on the sleeping bag he was prone on, his discarded turban and weighted cape canopy tossed over by the small lantern that illuminated the lush clearing.

"Why do you gotta look so damn sexy all the time?"

Stirring him from his thoughts, Sofia smirked over at him as she landed soundlessly in the shady clearing. It took all of Piccolo's control to rove her body and train his gaze to caress up her curves – from her long bare legs, up across her red shorts, and past her studded nipples in the flimsy white tank top that contoured to her torso exquisitely, to stare at her glowing red eyes as she sauntered over to him.

'So much for staying disciplined, eh?' Nail chuckled telepathically over at his counterpart, who'd just internally gulped.

'…Just shut up, Nail,' Piccolo grumbled distractedly as he continued to watch her pad barefoot through the soft grass towards him.

"Is this spot taken?" Sofia mused softly as she dipped down and began to crawl into the empty spot of the sleeping bag he was on, her long hair swaying with her movements as she sidled next to him and trailed her hand in a caressing path across his chest.

Blinking at her, Piccolo let his onyx gaze stare at her inviting lips before snapping back to her preternaturally glowing crimson eyes. "Aren't you cold in that?" he absently asked as he instinctually encircled her waist and pulled her close, pressing her against his side before pulling the sleeping bag flap around them as a blanket.

"Freezing," she mused in a sigh, batting her lashes slowly before adding in a purr as she affectionately caressed the stalk of his wavering antennae, "Warm me up?"

 _Dammit._ Piccolo caressed her curves as she began to kiss a trail along his chiseled jaw. "Is this good?" he husked against her temple when he rolled onto his side so he could envelope her from the chill with his body as he tucked the sleeping bag more snuggly around them.

Eyes narrowing comically, Sofia huffed a sigh and flopped onto her back under him. "Piccolo. I swear – if you don't take the truck full of hints I've been dropping on you and take me right now, I'm going to pounce on you and screw your brains out until Nail will have to get into the driver seat for you!" When she earned a thin-lined scowl and sweatdrop from him, she pressed on. "What is the deal?! You haven't wanted to do it for weeks. WEEKS! Like…weeks, for real, and it's freaking me out!" she snapped while her hands idly caressed up and down his sides in a comforting caress that was only succeeding in driving his arousal to peak frustration. "What is it, huh? Some sort of weirdo dude martial arts sex fast?!"

It still disarmed him how much she truly knew him, inside and out. She could read him without even realizing she assessed him and his motives perfectly almost every time. Rolling off and onto his back to lie next to her, Piccolo grunted in a monotone, "Exactly."

Blinking and balking over at him, Sofia slowly stared up at the starry night sky above them and pondered his answer. When an explanation to his answer eluded her, she rolled to sidle against him as she whined, "But _why_?"

"Don't take it personally," he grumbled, his cheeks burning slightly from the sexual frustration and embarrassment of having to articulate his reasoning out loud to her. "I just want to train myself to be focused on battle, in all ways. How am I supposed to be in the zone at all times –ready for any threat coming our way, if I'm spending part of that time getting amorously entangled with you?"

Deflating comically at that, Sofia retorted wryly, "Easy – by satisfying your needs and having hot sex with me whenever and however possible!"

Face palming, Piccolo's antennae bobbed minutely as he muttered, "Kami, this is a ludicrous conversation—!"

"Yeah, I know. We could be into our second orgasms by now instead!" she interjected not so comically and frowned. "You're seriously going to starve yourself of sexy time—all to prove what, that you _can_?"

"No! It's about control of all things – about centering my mind and body to the focused discipline of steeling oneself for battle. Before my battle with Goku, and before the Saiyans, I abstained from anything that was a distraction from becoming stronger. Sleep, meditation – I just pushed it all away and spent every waking moment training and honing myself for battle; to be focused and able to see tactically without anything clouding my thoughts," he explained in a gruff retort, watching as she listened and guarded her expression from his analytical gaze. "Being with you and…you know, is an extension of that. It doesn't mean anything else other than it's part of my training running up to battle time." Caressing her cheek with the backs of his knuckles, he added in a soft, husky whisper, "It doesn't mean I don't want to…it's actually been the biggest test to my willpower and focus. You don't even know how much I think about, well, you know—"

Taking his hand in hers, Sofia pulled his caress away and trailed his palm down her collarbones and clavicle to rest his palm firmly on a supple breast. "No, I don't know. Why don't you tell me?" she sultrily murmured, eyes staring seductively up at him as she purred, "Or can't you say 'sex' anymore without slipping into a danger zone of getting turned on, hmm?"

'She's got you there,' Nail tisked comically, earning an internal growl for silence from Piccolo.

"Sofia—" he began, but cut his admonishing retort when she rolled to now be sitting on top of him, hands pressed flat against his broad, muscular chest so she could lean down sinuously and stare sultrily into his wide eyes.

Tilting her head in a way to toss her long dark hair over one shoulder, she leaned closer until she was inches away from his parted lips. Staring into his wide onyx eyes, she ruminated about how he was still the brooding warrior who had a hard time sharing his thoughts and voicing his wants. It was something she wouldn't be able to change any more than he could change aspects of her personality. Still, she was pleased that he finally admitted what he'd been up to, and she didn't take any umbrage that he was so hardwired to being battle forged and tactically superior to his adversaries that going celibate on her didn't cross his mind as being a selfish move. Still, part of her wanted to acerbically remind him how the battles with Goku and the Saiyans hadn't gone at all well for him, but the thought of grinding those failed outcomes into his face just to make her point seemed ridiculous. She didn't want to wound his pride, even if it was partially to blame for her sexually frustrated state at the moment. Instead, she sighed softly and lowered her eyes in solace as she murmured, "While this is part of a training regiment I would never think to do myself…I respect that you wish to do so in order to push yourself," she added in a quick quip, "might push you into a serious case of blue balls," before continuing in an earnest tone, "BUT nevertheless, I will not tease you anymore."

With that, she planted a chaste kiss on his cheek, then rolled off of him to settle down beside him. Blinking at the reasonableness with which she handled his admittance, Piccolo glanced at her skeptically when she flopped onto her side and curled up to sleep. "So…that's it?" he ventured, his baritone cautious.

Shooting him a raised brow over her shoulder, she asked mildly, "Is there something else you expected?"

Sitting up and rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously, Piccolo muttered, "Well – yeah. You're not mad?"

Shooting him narrowed conspiratorial daggers, she drawled, "Don't push it, Green Bean. I've worked on my patience; it isn't bulletproof… but no, I'm not mad. After all, we're only days away from the big showdown so…no point in distracting you from your training now," she added in a sigh. "As a matter of fact," she continued and sat up, preparing to leave as she mused, "I'll just go back and sleep at the house so I don't bother you—"

She paused when she looked back at his hand as it squeezed affectionately around hers and stopped her from vacating the spot next to him. Turning to face him with her head cocked inquisitively to the side, she finally noticed the way he was looking at her, and it caused her heart to summersault in her chest.

He pulled her back towards him, caressing her to him as he tossed the sleeping bag closed over them and settled them back down to lie on their sides, facing each other.

"You're not bothering me. You're turning me on, and that's testing my resolve like nothing else…but you're not bothering me," he murmured in a gravelly tone against her cheek before kissing her chastely on the lips. "It's only temporary—"

"It better be!" she cut in with a no nonsense pout.

Grunting with humor, he drawled, "It definitely will be. The minute this is all over, I'm taking you somewhere and showing you how much you've turned me on…thoroughly and properly. That is, if you'll oblige me."

Pulse racing as she melted from his confident declaration, Sofia purred, "Oblige me until I can't see straight, and you won't be able to stop smiling after I'm done with you, sexy stud muffin."

Piccolo's gravelly chuckle echoed in the clearing as she sealed her declaration with a kiss to his throat before snuggling against him and mewling affectionately from being squeezed possessively to him.

* * *

The heat he felt radiate around him was lulling him into a hyperaware state of arousal and enticement as he arched at the sensation coursing down his body. The air around him seemed to vibrate and twinkle with the rapture he felt, his surroundings glowing and flaring as if her very presence caused refractions to preternaturally caress the atmosphere around them.

He couldn't keep his eyes off of her. She was in all her nude glory before him, straddling him as she caressed his muscular torso and kissed his skin, igniting a burning desire that was already searing beneath his flesh to rise to the surface. His pulse was throbbing in his ears, arousal intoxicating him to arch towards her for more. Her crimson eyes twinkled like blazing rubies as she smiled down at him and kissed an arduous trail down his stomach towards his hardened manhood. He dully realized he was digging his strong tapered fingers into the ground beneath him as he arched and groaned in pleasure at the feeling of her warm mouth pursing around his straining erection. The sensation of her tongue and her skilled oral ministrations laving and sucking him expertly was enough to drive him wild, but he sunk his fangs into his bottom lip in order to stifle his desire. Feeling his body throb in synchronization with his heartbeat and the loving rapture of her lips around his hardened cock, Piccolo watched past heavy lids as she hummed around him before stroking his throbbing erection and gazing up his body with a stunning smile that left him on the precipice of desperate need.

Just when he thought he couldn't take much more, she whispered in a smoky purr that reverberated around him.

"I want you inside me."

Arching as she straddled her hips over his and slowly pressed down onto his throbbing shaft, Piccolo's hands crept up to grip her waist, growling when she whimpered softly before gasping as he pulled her onto his lap until he filled her to the hilt. She began to ride him with passionate abandon, tossing her head back and crying out with pleasure when he began to buck his hips in undulating thrusts to match her pace.

"Tell me what you want," Piccolo growled sensually up at her as she began rolling her hips over him and gasping with tentative pleasure in her mewling cries.

She pressed her palms flat on his chest and arched, panting as she gazed hungrily down at him and smiled sultrily. When her lips moved, instead of her beautiful voice, the chirping of a songbird came from her mouth. Blinking drowsily at the sight, Piccolo paused in his thrusts and murmured, "Sofia?"

His personal temptress gazed down at him and responded, and once again, only the chirping of a songbird was what he heard come from her lips before she leaned down and caressed his face.

Chirp-Chirp-Chirp~!

Suddenly bolting wide awake, Piccolo flinched and stared about, panting softly as the hyper-realistic surroundings of his dream bled away to the cool and sunny surroundings of the clearing in the early morning. Blinking and falling back flat onto the sleeping bag, he stared up at the canopy above and spotted a blue and orange-bellied bird sitting on the perch of a branch, chirping merrily at the sunny morning before batting its wings and hopping up the branch further before looking down and chirping at him.

… _What the—?_

He glanced to his side and realized he was all alone in the clearing; well, just him, his sexually-charged mind and throbbing erection nestled firmly within the confines of his magically-fashioned boxer brief undergarment Sofia had made for him long ago to better conceal and comfortably obscure his manhood. If not for the undergarment, his gi trousers would be tenting comically with obvious proof of his sexual frustration.

Sweatdropping, he realized he'd had one hell of a sex dream – unlike anything he'd experienced since first becoming a sexual being. _Hell…I hope that's not going to be a recurring thing…_

'It probably wouldn't be, if you weren't stubbornly pursuing celibacy, Piccolo,' Nail's tenor musing rasped telepathically over to him, to his chagrin. 'There's a reason monks live in monasteries away from the opposite sex, you know,' his affable counterpart chuckled, earning a huff from the antisocial Namek.

'Ugh, don't tell me I gotta hear from you too!' Piccolo grumbled as he sat up and stretched his tense form, still feeling riled from the erotic dream. 'I need to be sharp and focused – not worrying about sex—'

'To be fair, hasn't not having sex caused you to think about it even more than if you were just having it routinely?' Nail shot back, his tenor rasp barely concealing his amusement.

'Actually, no,' Piccolo declared, before adding as an aside, 'I think about it more when I get it regularly…'

Now it was Nail's turn to be surprised. 'Oh.'

'Yeah.' Piccolo huffed and stared about again. _She must've snuck back early…_

'But you don't suffer those erotic dreams at all when you and Sofia are spending carnal time regularly, so isn't that something to consider?' Nail continued, earnestly intrigued by the notion.

'What are you, my sex therapist? It's none of your business, Nail. It's not gonna happen again,' Piccolo groused as he pulled his weighted gear on and hid the sleeping bag and lantern in their usual place before making his way towards the outcropping that would lead to the edge of the cliff overlooking the valley. 'Now that we're days away from the battle with the Androids, I'll stop sleeping and solely focus on training. No sleep; no sex dreams.'

'So I shouldn't point out that the depravation tactics of your training regiment haven't led to success in your previous major confrontations…?' Nail dryly mused.

'…I totally expected her to say the same thing last night, and she didn't, so at least she isn't as big of a know-it-all as you are,' Piccolo snapped back at Nail, scowling as he found himself annoyed that there definitely was some truth to the lapse in effectiveness in his regiment. Still, it wasn't like any of the other Z Warriors changed their training habits just because of a little dying here and there. Tien still trained with Chiaotzu, Vegeta still beat himself within an inch of his life in order to snap back and get stronger, Yamcha still…well he didn't really know _what_ the scar-faced fighter did, but it clearly wasn't very effective. But old habits were hard to break, so for the time being, he would remain intent on keeping to his unique training regiment until he found another way to still reach the results he desired in his battle preparation. 'Anyway, what do you care? I'm the one dealing with the frustration, not you,' Piccolo muttered suddenly as he closed his eyes and tried to ping onto the energy signatures of the Son family.

'That's true, but Sofia's my friend too. I just think it's a shame that she has to put up with your selfish sexual starvation when someone could easily satisfy her needs,' Nail tisked, adding in a sing-song, 'Such a shame, indeed~!'

Growling in irritation, Piccolo was about to bark back that he should stop fishing to instigate him when he realized Goku and Gohan were cloaking their ki signatures; he couldn't sense them at all. _That's odd…_

'Sofia? Are you at Son's place?' he tugged on his telepathic rapport with Sofia, and found his message echoed without feeling that connection reverberate back to him – the indicator that their rapport was strong and he could reach her mind. A sense of dread began to creep up his spine. Unlike his rapport with Gohan, he and Sofia were telepathically connected in such a way that they could reach each other over miles. It was the only way he could really hone in on her. Now that he couldn't sense her rapport, Piccolo began to feel on edge. 'She's not answering…' he grumbled over to Nail, who sobered quickly.

'What about the others—?'

'I can't sense them either.'

'Piccolo…what if—'

'No…it's too early. It can't be the Androids. There's no way,' Piccolo declared resolutely, but the anxiety still seized his mind. His heart began to race. 'It has to be something else,' he mused stoically as he began to levitate before taking flight, making a straight course for the Son farm. 'There's gotta be another explanation.'

He jetted through the sky at a break-neck speed, the tension growing in the pit of his stomach every minute that ticked by. 'Sofia—c'mon, answer me,' he attempted again, and received the equivalent of a proverbial door slammed shut in his face; nothing was coming back, and his rapport ceased. Setting his jaw tightly, he blasted a powerful flow of ki into his contrail and shot off faster for direct course to Son's front door.

The cottage came into view, nestled on the far corner of the expansive valley. Nothing seemed amiss, other than the lack of power levels from two of the most powerful warriors around, and his twin star's silence.

Quickly flipping in mid air and coming to a crouched landing in the front yard, Piccolo assessed his surroundings, and found them desolate; just the breeze trailed lazily by, causing the front door to swing a bit more agape than it currently was. The tension became a tight knot in his gut.

"Hello?" he ventured firmly, stalking over and seeing no one in the home.

'Piccolo – we should split form so I can provide backup. Who knows what's going on—'

'Save the hysterics…' was all Piccolo could brusquely muster as a retort as he rounded the circumference of the cottage and went towards the small childhood edifice that was Goku's original home. Nothing seemed out of place there, so he began to wander towards the side of the property where they had their barn. 'Where the hell is everybody!'

He heard a rustling of hay underfoot coming from around the side of the barn. Turning, he honed in his focus and approached the building, ready to lay waste to any intruders who could be responsible for the sudden disappearance of his friends. _The bastards are gonna pay if they've hurt her—!_ Just as his irate thought flashed in his mind, Piccolo burst around the corner of the barn with a vehement shout and fell into his battle stance, just as three figures leapt out of their hiding places under a large homemade banner that hung crookedly from the open barn side doors and the clothing line adjacent to the building. _What the he—!?_

"SURPRISE!"Sofia, Gohan and Goku shouted enthusiastically and squeezed their confetti poppers to disperse colored ribbons and pieces of confetti everywhere as they added cheerily, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PICCOLO!"

Blinking his wide-eyed shock away, Piccolo fell slowly out of stance and stared about. The banner overhead read, "It's Piccolo Day!" with drawings that were clearly made by Gohan etched along it depicting chibi versions of Piccolo, Gohan, Sofia, Goku and Chi-Chi. Below the banner was a rickety picnic table laden with food and birthday treats, most importantly being the homemade birthday cake topped with lit candles.

"Oh wow – we really surprised you, huh Piccolo?" Goku jovially chuckled and dusted his wild hair free of confetti pieces while Sofia and Gohan rushed the nonplussed Namekian warrior. "Good thing you came quick, cuz I'm staaaaarving, and your birthday cake wasn't gonna last another minute—"

"Is it over? Can I come out now?" Chi-Chi suddenly shouted as she emerged from inside the animal pen of the barn, where she'd been wrangling all the animals from making noises that would spoil the surprise – not to mention keeping herself out of the fray in case Piccolo didn't take kindly to the birthday surprise this year.

"What the hell?! YOU CLOAKED YOUR KI, ALL TO SURPRISE ME?" Piccolo suddenly bellowed, stomping over and shoving past Sofia and Gohan to irately shout at Goku. "DO YOU KNOW HOW STUPID THAT IS WHEN WE'RE ONLY DAYS AWAY FROM FACING AN IMMINENT THREA—?!"

His shouted harangue was cut off once Sofia and Gohan tackled him playfully to the ground and hugged him into submission, just as they'd planned, in case he flew off the handle. Meanwhile, Goku blinked before scratching the back of his head and bursting into his irreverent chuckle that became infectious as Sofia and Gohan did the same while Piccolo fumed and turned violet from consternation.

"I told you he wasn't going to like the surprise!" Chi-Chi admonished as she stalked over to Goku's side, ruefully shaking her head; her hands rested at her hips.

"Awww, c'mon, Piccolo! We just wanted to surprise you for your birthday," Gohan grinned as he hopped back and flashed his mentor the peace sign. "Don't be mad!"

"Yeah! We put a lot of planning into this, so don't bring your own party down, Green Bean!" Sofia snickered as she stood and pulled on Piccolo's arms until he was hauled up to his feet.

"Grrr, this is ridiculous and you all know it! It's a sentimental ritual that doesn't apply to me at all—!" Piccolo's haughty complaint was cut short by Sofia grabbing a fistful of his cape collar and pulling him down to accommodate their height discrepancy.

"Yeah yeah, keep protesting, but it doesn't change things," she glibly mused, adding, "Happy Birthday!" before she merrily planted a platonic kiss on his cheek.

Face faulting to the ground, Piccolo turned violet yet again while everyone else laughed, enjoying his flustered reaction at Sofia's usual birthday salutation – the kiss on the cheek she gave to each of them on their special days.

'That's right – today is May 9th. Happy Birthday, Piccolo,' Nail chortled affably, chuckling as his gruff counterpart stewed with mortification as he regained his composure and stood to glower down on everyone present.

Just when they all sobered and waited for his expected blistering tell-off, Piccolo relented and huffed, dropping his arms to his sides.

"…Thanks, I guess."

Giving each other conspiratorial grins, Gohan and Sofia smiled as they rushed him and gave him a real hug. "You're welcome!"

"Hahah – yay! Now we can eat cake. Come over and blow out the candles, Piccolo," Goku giddily rushed over to the table and began to fidget with excitement. "It's one of my favorites~!"

"It's Piccolo's birthday, Goku, so he'll be getting the first piece. You just have to wait your turn," Chi-Chi wagged her finger at her child-like husband.

"Aaaaawwww, c'mon!"

Piccolo huffed through his nose, sighing in relief as he loped over to the table to join the family and Sofia as they waited happily for him to blow out the candles.

"Don't forget to make a wish, Piccolo!" Gohan amiably mused as he smiled up at his friend.

Smirking despite himself, Piccolo grunted, "Thanks for the reminder, kid." Closing his eyes, he thought over he and Sofia's rapport, 'I wish for a chance to give you a nice spanking for stressing me the hell out!'

Smiling knowingly, Sofia giggled over the rapport right back, 'Your wish is mine to grant – any time, anywhere~!'

* * *

Sitting on the opposite side of the small stream that skirted the Son property, Piccolo watched his friend and former archrival's spar session with stoic regard, silently reminiscing about not only the events of the day, but of the past few years they'd all spent together, training for the Androids. He still couldn't believe Sofia had managed to pull off a surprise party the way she had, especially when he'd been victim to her sentimental doting every May 9th since they all decided to partner together within the remote sanctum of Mt. Paozu.

He remembered the first time she'd celebrated one of their birthdays like it was a national holiday. Chi-Chi had been touched by Sofia's rambunctious attention, declaring her November birthday a special day for her to relax and be celebrated. Piccolo had thought it an odd custom, but never did he think when May rolled around, he'd get the accolades of being the special person ever born. But before then, it'd been Goku's turn. The Saiyan hadn't seen it coming, considering he himself didn't know his date of birth, since he'd been born on Planet Vegeta and sent to Earth as a small child. So when Sofia surprised him on April 16th with a massive feast comprising all of his favorite foods, Goku had happy tears in his wide eyes as he pulled the woman into a massive bear hug before diving into the bounty of dishes. Snickering, he remembered how that'd been the only time he'd heard Goku say he couldn't eat another bite. _It was astounding…_

Unfortunately for him, she'd practically given him a heart attack when she'd jumped in front of him from the tree he was meditating under, screaming "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" at the top of her lungs; birthday cake presented to him like a magical offering covered with flaming candles while Gohan sang the birthday song she'd taught him while giddily bouncing around him as she leaned in and planted the chaste kiss on his cheek, as she had for Goku while he gorged himself and for Chi-Chi after she hugged her sweetly. Then, over a week later, it was Gohan's turn to be barraged with cake and happy shouts of celebration, accompanied by a massive feast Sofia whipped up and platonic kiss to the cheek. And so it went every year, for each of their birthdays.

He recollected their talk the night of his birthday, when he'd tried admonishing her for such a doting display in front of the others, especially to celebrate a day he quite frankly, didn't think needed to be acknowledged. Sofia had earnestly frowned at that, and mused matter-of-factly, "Don't even go down the self-disparaging road over your freaking birthday, Piccolo. I know what you're getting at, and I simply will not accept it." When he'd scowled and muttered about May 9th having been more about his sire's believed dominion over the world before his defeat at the hands of Goku than anything involving him, Sofia's eyes had blazed with defiance. She pointedly sat in his lap, framed his face in her warm hands, and declared, "Daimaou's only real contribution and legacy to this world was bringing you into it. You were borne from his sense of revenge and desire to continue what he wasn't able to finish, but you are so much better than him that his petty and insecure self-hatred couldn't influence you for long," her eyes had softened as she watched his guard lower and his eyes focus intently on her. "You're greater than the sum of why you were brought into existence, Piccolo. May 9th is your day, not his, so no matter how cool and tough you are, I will always celebrate it, because it's special and holds meaning." She pulled him into a hug that he didn't know he yearned for until he was hugging her back with possessive gusto. "Plus, I totally love you and can't get enough of you blushing and being all flustered like a moody brat," she chuckled into his ear before grinning impishly at his gruff scowl.

Sitting in the lotus position, he leaned back on his splayed hands to focus on the sparring session ahead of him, pushing the pleasant memories away just when he felt Sofia plop down next to him.

'Happy birthday, Mr. Piccolo~!' she chortled in a comical voice telepathically before musing goofily, 'You should've seen the look on your face.'

'Feh – you're lucky I didn't go on the attack as soon as I rounded the corner! I thought something bad had happened—'

'Oh yeah…the whole cloaking of power levels was my idea. Sorry about that, but I couldn't let you sense the guys and spoil the surprise!' she interjected meekly and gave him a sidelong glance.

'You shutting your end of the rapport is what did it,' he muttered fumingly. 'I…got worried…' he scowled and glanced away, watching as Goku blocked a roundhouse from Gohan.

'I'm sorry. I didn't even think about how freaky that would be. Honestly, I wasn't even sure I did it right until boom – I couldn't hear you,' Sofia explained, earning a sharp glance from him. 'What?'

'You blocked me out? It seemed like the rapport severed—'

'Nope. Just blocked. Kind of like how when I put on my headphones and listen to my Walkman; tuned you and everyone out. I wasn't sure it worked until I couldn't hear Goku or Gohan either. It was sort of like, putting up a force field that bounced other's telepathy out,' she rationalized, and while the others weren't looking, she playfully nudged his arm with her shoulder. 'Don't worry though – I'll never do it again.'

'Humph,' he grunted, shaking his head as he crossed his muscular arms. 'You better not. You already owe me one spanking. No telling what kind of punishment that'll earn you next time you do something like that,' he husked gravelly, which only earned a spike of excitement to skitter down her body.

'Oh, do tell—'

"Hey guys! It's dinnertime. You better beat us to the table," Gohan shouted over before running to the front door of the cottage, followed by Goku, who was already salivating and rubbing his stomach in anticipation.

"Such a shame," Sofia mused as she stood and dusted off the seat of her jean-legging hybrid pants.

"What is?" Piccolo ventured as he stood and followed her phasing moves to end up in the front yard of the cozy home.

'Well…it's your birthday, and before I knew about your strict sex-free training tactic, I had the perfect gift for you, but now it's going to have to wait…' Sofia telepathically trailed off, shooting him a flirty glance over her shoulder when he grunted and his gaze intensified, questioning. Loping to the front door, she turned sidelong, and added in a smoky purr over their rapport, 'I was going to give you the best B-day BJ of your life,' she paused to take a faux-forlorn sigh before adding, 'Oh well~!'

Piccolo stiffened and flinched—completely mortified, and fell sideways as he was assaulted by a massive sweatdrop, face burning with more than just flustered embarrassment.

* * *

The day we'd been training for had finally arrived.

After three wonderful and fulfilling years of training and living amongst friends in the sanctum of Mt. Paozu – and gallivanting around in secret with my sexy stud of a twin star, I was now staring at the sunrise of the day the Androids strike out at the people of Earth.

Standing on the plateau, I watched the sun's rays bleed across the horizon and slowly flare like scintillating bands that shimmered and illuminated the twilight into the delicate dawn. I could sense the stirring of animals in the valley and canyons around me while the morning breeze began to warm. This new day was the one I'd been working towards and wanting to avoid for the longest time, and now watching it spring before me made that sharp flutter of anxiety palpitate out, unbidden. I closed my eyes and tossed my fluttering strands of hair out of my face before I raked my long nails through my hair, combing it up and into a tight ponytail.

"There you are."

Turning to look over my shoulder, I watched Piccolo land on the plateau, his usually stoic expression was softened by his quirked brow as he gave me a quick glance before crossing his muscular arms and continuing gruffly, "What's got you up here again looking skittish?"

Giving him a half smile, I pushed the stray long bang that had escaped the fastening of my ponytail behind my ear and turned to face him fully. "Just because you're such a battle experienced badass, doesn't mean I am. Is it so unreasonable for me to be freaking out?" I quipped wryly.

I half expected to get his patented "Feh" followed by a command to stop thinking so much, so when he instead closed the distance and pulled me close to him by encircling my waist, I was a bit disarmed. I caressed my hands up to rest on his weighted shoulder mantle. Staring up into his onyx-gleaming eyes as the sunrise caught the contours of his chiseled features, I watched his expression cool before he murmured reassuringly, "You're not an idiot, so of course it's reasonable to feel that way. But like I've said before: You and I will figure it out together."

He squeezed me affectionately to him, so I smiled before standing on my tippy toes to pull him down for a kiss. Pulling me against him more firmly, I was able to wrap my arms around his neck as he deepened the kiss, succeeding in making me melt and curling my toes in passionate glee. The thought that this would be the last time we'd be able to be with each other like this for quite a while flashed across my mind, causing me to sigh into the kiss before he pulled back and rolled his eyes sardonically at me.

'You think too damn much,' he drawled confidently over our rapport at me as he let me slip down his hard, muscled body.

Burying my face against his chest, I wrapped my arms around his torso and just leaned on him, breathing in his scent and relishing the warmth of his body through the layers of clothes that separated us.

'I know,' was all I could lamely retort as I glanced back up at him and smiled sadly.

He caressed my cheek with the backs of his knuckles as a gusty breeze circled around us, tossing his cape about. "Seriously. There's nothing your worrying can do but tangle you up from acting on instinct. Trust yourself, Sofia. We're going to defeat the Androids, and then the next thing that happens is whatever we want it to be," his remark was gruff, but warm, holding that velvety baritone quality that made my heart flutter.

"All I want is for it to be that easy, Piccolo. It isn't…" I sighed as I cupped the back of his hand and leaned my cheek into his warm palm. "I can't help feel like this. It's all I can do but stand here and worry and feel pressed—"

His other hand cupped the small of my back as he tipped my face up to focus on him. "Do you remember what I said to you on the Lookout?"

Blinking at him, I paused and pursed my lips at him. "Yes…" I batted my lashes at him coyly, hoping he'd repeat it and make me melt all over again.

"If you remember, I don't need to tell you again," he smartly retorted, cocking a brow ridge at me.

Pouting goofily, I huffed, "It was something to the affect of "It ain't the unknown as long as we stick together," amirite, oh-so-wise one?"

"And what else?" he ruggedly muttered, his smirk just too sexy for words.

Rolling my eyes exaggeratedly, I flailed my arms dramatically as I continued his quote in a faux baritone, "So let's get on with it then!"

"Right," he smugly purred before dipping me expertly and kissing me with gusto.

After I recovered from melting against him, I squeezed his sides flirtatiously as I grumbled in a singsong, "Fine, sugar lips. But before we get on with it, I gotta tell you something, and I don't want any eye rolling or tough guy fronting, alright?"

Sobering, he nodded curtly, waiting for me to continue.

Grabbing a fistful of the front of his cape mantle, I pulled him down until our noses were only inches away from touching – earning a startled blink and grunt from him – and purred matter-of-factly, "I love the hell out of you."

His eyes went from wide to normal before he smirked and responded gravelly and sexily, "I know."

* * *

The morning of May 12th seemed placid enough – nothing denoted the impending grueling battle ahead. At least that's what she idly thought as they flew through the sky, for direct course to the small island 9 miles off of South City. Ahead of her was Gohan, whose anxiety was palpable, while Goku and Piccolo flew just adjacent at her right. The two seasoned warriors were focused, albeit tense as well to get the battle won, as they discussed what to expect.

'What if I'm not as strong as I need to be?' the anxious thought echoed over to her from the pre-teen who was stressing out like an earnest adult.

"Hey, Gohan! Slow it down. No point in using up all your energy before we get there, right?" Goku called over to his son, who acknowledged his instruction before going back to his brooding.

Grunting, Sofia zoomed over to fall into flying formation next to Gohan before doing a playful carousel roll around him. "C'mon, Gohan! If you keep your face like that, you're going to end up looking like Vegeta – all scowl and gloom. I know you're stressin', but you shouldn't," she coolly offered to the distracted demi-Saiyan, snapping him out of his anxious musings.

"Hahah, oh man, that wouldn't be good, huh," he laughed distractedly until Sofia's sharp glanced garnered his full attention. "It's just…what if I'm not strong enough to help—"

"Ugh, you and Piccolo are such worriers!" she cut in sarcastically before shooting the Namekian warrior a glib glance over her shoulder when she heard him huff over their rapport. "Gohan – seriously. I know you're worried that you're not strong enough. Honestly, it would be foolish to think you could easily win any fight. You don't know your opponents, and you should always be cautious. But don't let that worry become fear. The moment you do…it's harder to defeat fear than to beat your opponents. Plus," she paused as she platonically nudged her shoulder to his, watching as his young face relaxed attentively to what she was saying. "You're not alone. We are all fighting together, side by side. Okay?"

Smiling broadly, Gohan nodded and became a little more confident. "Right. That's true," he replied as he held up his balled up fist and offered it to Sofia, who fist-bumped him coolly. "Thanks for the pep-talk," he cheekily chortled. The more Gohan thought about it, the person who could truly give him honest encouragement would be Sofia. After all, she knew everything that was supposed to happen. The minute she looked stressed or alarmed was when they all should really be worried. At least that's what gave him solace as they flew over the myriad of islands that sprinkled the ocean below them.

While his twin star and best friend continued to chat, Piccolo picked up where he left off in his discussion with Goku. "Part of me thinks putting these Androids out of commission should be child's play for us…but I can't help shake the feeling that we might be in over our heads," he muttered stoically, arms crossed and gaze fixed ahead.

"Over our heads?" Goku inquired seriously over at the imposing Namek, wide eyes narrowed in mature concentration. "Look, Piccolo. If these Androids do give us any trouble, don't put yourself at risk trying to be a hero. After all, if you go, the dragon balls go too…and we can't gamble with losing them if things do end up being really bad…" the usually irreverent Saiyan mused earnestly, earning a monotone grunt from Piccolo.

Sofia caught the stray conversation even from the distance she and Gohan were flying. Lost in thought, she began to worry herself. _What if things go off track? Will I be able to fix it, or could I accidentally make it worse…?_

Gohan glanced out of the corner of his eye at her, knowing that she was meticulously overthinking things. It was one of her quirks that Piccolo had told him once was both her greatest strength and errant detriment – since she would usually be able to map out the best course of action way before anyone else knew what was happening, or she would tangle up in her own machinations and worries. He was about to nudge her and give her the same encouragement she had gifted him, but when he glanced ahead, he noticed a familiar figure zipping through the sky making direct course for the same destination they were all heading towards. "Hey, it's Krillin!"

The young demi-Saiyan blasted off to gain on the former monk. Piccolo watched as Sofia followed suit while Goku cheered up and went ahead to greet his long time friend.

"Hey, Krillin!" Gohan shouted as he zipped over to fly next to Krillin.

"Whoa – hey, Gohan! Long time no see," the shorter man greeted jovially before blinking bashfully when Sofia expertly zoomed by and began to fly upside down just over to his left.

"Hey, Krillin~!" Sofia greeted with a cool, smoky edge to her tone as she gave him a silly flirty wave and winked at him.

Grinning through his meekness, the former monk sweated goofily as he stammered, "Oh, hey Sofia! Fancy meeting you here, hahahah—I mean it's cool to see that you lasted all that time training with these guys, heheheh!"

Phasing seamlessly to fly next to him, Sofia platonically punched Krillin's shoulder as she answered, "I just _barely_ kept up! But hey, do me a favor and quit acting all bashful around me," her tone took a hard edge as she added, "Just think of me as one of the guys, and totally good at kicking ass, alright?"

Sobering as he watched her irises flash with a preternatural red glow while she held up her fist decisively, Krillin nodded vigorously as he declared, "Sure thing!" before cutting over with a conspiratorially comic drawl to Gohan, "She could seriously kick my ass easily, huh?"

Snickering, Gohan responded simply, "Oh yeah, so don't make her mad!"

Krillin nervously laughed at that as he rubbed the back his head while he gave an appraising glance at Sofia's appearance and outfit. _Not what I'd call a battle outfit. I guess they couldn't convince her to wear a martial arts gi…_

"Yo! How's it going, Krillin," Goku congenially greeted his friend when he flew up to his right side.

"Uh, yo…" Krillin sullenly pouted as he continued to fly.

"What? That's all I get? C'mon, aren't you happy to see us?" Goku chuckled.

"Yeah, well, I guess I'm not exactly upbeat about squaring up against yet another enemy, bro. After all, I don't have Super Saiyan powers to fall back on…" Krillin sulked as he matter-of-factly scowled at his prospects going into battle with a powerful menace unlike anything any of them had ever seen.

Sofia relished witnessing the entire exchange as a participant instead of a spectator. "Hey, dude," Sofia got Krillin's attention as she did another phase and ended up flying sideways next to Piccolo when the Namek finally sped up and fell into formation with the rest of the group. "Not all of us are Super Saiyans, so we're right there with you," she offered sassily before gesturing with her chin towards the island that was coming into view. "But we're all just gonna do our best. You're one of the best fighters I've ever seen, so don't sweat it. We'll all have each other's backs, right?"

"Right!" Goku and Gohan shouted in unison, cheery grins that could only be credited to the Son family tree earning a grunt from Piccolo and a chuckle from Krillin.

As they arrived at the densely populated small island, the five fighters hovered overhead and surveyed the area.

"Pretty big island," Goku soberly mused.

"Yeah…pretty bustling too," Krillin muttered tensely.

"We'll have to figure out a way to lure these Androids away from the population so innocent people don't get caught in the middle," Gohan remarked, showing his astute maturity.

Sofia glanced over at Piccolo when she felt his gaze on her. 'What?'

'I sense you're worried—'

'I am. I know we talked about this, but I'd be a jackass to not be worried, babe—'

'There's no time for you to get tangled up in that. Like you said – we're all in this together. If something happens out of the established flow of events, it's not just on you to set it back on the right track. I'll help you,' Piccolo rumbled over their rapport.

Before Sofia could respond, Krillin exclaimed, "Hey – I'm sensing some power levels over at that plateau on the side of the mountain!"

"It's probably Yamcha and the others. Let's go!" Goku mused and led the way, Krillin and Gohan following close behind while Sofia and Piccolo took the time to glance sidelong at each other before following the others.

As they landed on the plateau, Yamcha pleasantly greeted them, while Tien stood off to the side and Bulma merrily waved while cradling an adorable blue-eyed baby. Landing seamlessly, Sofia watched as Gohan and Krillin marveled at Bulma's unannounced presence and newfound motherhood while baby Trunks shyly hid his face against her bosom.

Yamcha was already sulking before his friends inquired how fatherhood suited him. "Bulma and I broke it off a long time ago. The kid ain't mine…but just wait until she tells you who the dad is…you won't believe it," he sullenly groused as he walked off to sit and brood.

"Huh?" Krillin and Gohan were perplexed.

"Awww, Vegeta's your daddy, right, Trunks? Yes he is!" Goku absently cooed when he came up and smiled down at his former archrival's son, flummoxing almost everyone.

"Goku…how in the world would you possibly know? I was going to surprise you—" Bulma blinked while cradling Trunks, who just scowled at Goku as the Saiyan flinched and began to sweat, sputtering an excuse as to how he could've known. "But you even knew his name," Bulma quirked a brow dubiously at her longtime friend.

Before Goku could put his foot in his mouth again, Sofia speedily came up beside him and offered smoothly, "Hey Bulma—I probably let it slip on the way here! After all, I've been so looking forward to meeting this cutie," then leaned close to smile like a Cheshire cat as she purred goofily, "Kakarot is just hopeless at keeping secrets, isn't that right, Trunks?"

The baby boy blinked at her before stretching his chubby little arms out and giggling, cooing wildly when she grinned and tickled him affectionately.

"Heeheeheehee—yep, that's gotta be it!" Goku retorted with his irreverently silly chuckle, hand scratching the back of his head while Sofia continued to make goofy faces at Trunks, entertaining the baby while Bulma pleasantly smiled.

"Whoa…I can't believe it. Vegeta's someone's dad," Krillin balked, earning yet another sullen huff from Yamcha.

"Right. Since we're on the subject, where _is_ Vegeta?" Piccolo gruffly inquired, arms crossed and taking his no-nonsense stance. "Out buying formula?" he sarcastically muttered as Bulma shrugged.

"I don't keep tabs on him – it's not like we're a couple or anything. He comes and goes as he pleases, but he _has_ been training to fight these Androids too. He'll most likely come here before long," the Capsule Corp heiress responded.

"Trust me. Vegeta will definitely be here," Goku declared confidently.

"I had to leave Chiaotzu back at Kame House. I don't think the little guy would be up to a fight of this caliber," Tien mused, glancing over at the others.

"Yeah, it's probably for the best. Which reminds me. You should probably leave soon, Bulma. This is no place for you and the baby to be," Goku retorted, causing Trunks to watch him suspiciously in such a way that Sofia couldn't help but see his resemblance to his mercurial father.

"Chill, Goku. I'll stay long enough to see what these things are, then leave. Plus, they're not supposed to be here for another half hour," Bulma nonchalantly mused.

Seeing how the blue-eyed baby scrunched up his face, Sofia snickered and elbowed the Saiyan playfully, musing, "I don't think he likes you, Kakarot."

"Awww, really? But I'm GREAT with kids," Goku goofily lamented as he leaned forward and cooed, "Is Trunksy-wonksy grumpy?"

The baby actually scowled, little brows furrowed and eyes showing his consternation at the man. Sofia laughed while Goku pouted and deflated at the reaction.

They spent the next 40 minutes waiting for the Androids, some surveying the island from the edge of the plateau while others got distracted in idle chatter and playing with the half-Saiyan baby. Gohan was currently making silly noises and faces at Trunks, who sweetly giggled and squealed with delight while his mother had him held in her lap. Sofia sat adjacent to Bulma and offered her hands to the baby, smiling when his chubby palms extended out as he leaned towards her.

"Wow! He's not normally this comfortable with strangers," she remarked as she let the baby crawl into Sofia's lap before the red-eyed woman held him to balance on her knees before playfully bouncing him and giving him a fangy grin.

"Ah, babies have always liked me. I must have a funny face or something," she offered as she balanced the lavender-haired tyke to stand on her thigh while she tickled just under his armpit. "Babysitting was my main gig growing up, so if you ever need a sitter, I'm your girl!" Trunks squealed and laughed with belly-giggles as she playfully went back to bouncing him on her lap before catching Piccolo's glance and sobering in her doting display.

He'd been watching her for longer than that glance, and couldn't help ponder on why the display was oddly endearing to him.

"I still don't get why he doesn't like me, though," Goku pouted before trying once again to get a laugh from the baby. "C'mon, Trunksy – can't you give your uncle Goku a smile?" the Saiyan cooed in a goofy falsetto as he giggled merrily and tried tickling Trunks while Sofia held him.

When the baby sulked and turned his face away, Sofia couldn't help herself. Holding him so he stood in her lap in order to hide her face behind him, Sofia mimicked in a faux baby-Vegeta-esque-voice, "How _dare_ you presume such familiarity with me, a baby Saiyan elite, you clown!"

Sweatdropping, Goku froze as everyone began to laugh before blinking at the baby and then giggling at the silliness himself. "Okay, fine, he's just not a fan no matter what I do. Why don't you give it a try, Krillin?" the jovial hero offered as he stood and gestured for the bald-headed former monk to step up and try his luck with the surly baby.

"Alright," stated the short monk as he came up. "Hm, what kind of face would you like?" he mused, and immediately earned a hearty giggle from the baby as he pointed at his face. Frowning, Krillin grumbled, "Hey, how 'bout you hold the laughter until I _make_ a face, kid."

Everyone chuckled at that for a few seconds until Piccolo declared that someone was approaching their position. Sobering, Sofia handed Trunks back over to Bulma and stood. _Crap. I really need to focus. Almost forgot Yajirobe is coming with Senzu beans. Right after he leaves, all hell breaks loose…_

Before she could spiral deeper into her worrisome thoughts, said overweight former fighter's hovercraft came into view as it descended from the pleasant morning sky towards the very plateau they were all on.

"Hey! You came and to help us fight the Androids," Goku exclaimed as greeting when Yajirobe hopped out of the craft.

"Yeah right! I just brought some Senzu beans from Korin. He figured you'd need 'em," the gruff fighter mused as he handed the bag of magical beans to the Saiyan. Glancing over and seeing the strange looking woman with the red eyes for the first time, he scrunched his face over at Goku and muttered not so covertly, "Who's the chick, Goku? Don't tell me you finally got rid of the ol' ball an' chain."

"Huh?" Goku followed his glance and saw Sofia sweatdrop. "Oh—that's Sofia. She's here to help us. Are you sure you don't wanna stay and lend a hand?"

"Her? She's a fighter?" The beady-eyed wild-haired man grumbled skeptically before shrugging. "Whatever floats your boats, I guess, but nah – you can count me out. You guys give 'em hell," the not-so-chivalrous man offered as he sauntered back to his hovercraft and hopped in, offering a lazy farewell before ascending and taking off from the plateau.

Pouting as she crossed her arms and tapped her foot, Sofia groused, "Jeez, do you guys always side eye having a female fighting companion, or is that just his way of complimenting me…"

Yamcha blew as raspberry as he chauvinistically mused, "Hey, Yajirobe might not be the most keen with the ladies, but he has a point. You're not really the fighter type. 'Specially not dressed like that," he gestured at her outfit. "You look like you should be going shopping with Bulma."

All the guys seemed to take Yamcha's comment as the opportunity to leer at Sofia astutely, to which she huffed and flailed, "Gauh! No, I'm not wearing fighting pajamas like all youz, but that doesn't mean my threads aren't adept for fighting. I never heard any of you giving fashion tips to Vegeta for wearing form-fitting battle wear!" The blue motto jeggings she wore fit her like a glove while her leather-like underbust corseted vest cinched her tightly. Her olive-green long-sleeved undershirt with cutout shoulders tapered off from her forearms to thumb-holed cuffs with a thicker weave of fabric, almost like arm gauntlets, with her Capsule-Corp styled red and black-tipped boots resembling a futuristic take on the popular footwear – rounded and thicker-soled versions of the pointy-toed slim-soled apparel everyone was used to. Her hair was tied up in a high ponytail, earlobes adorned with small platinum hoops that swayed now with her dismissive grunt.

"That's because Vegeta's came with armor…and wasn't as fetching, come to think of it," Krillin mused sheepishly, earning a growl from Sofia. "I mean, hey, if it's what you're comfortable fighting in, who are we to comment, hahahahah!" the monk nervously added in a rush, hands up in defeat when she stomped her foot in reminder of him not treating her any differently from the rest of the guys.

"I'll have you know these are all magically fashioned to be lighter, more flexible and durable than anything you've got on," she said with a snarky edge, sticking her tongue out. "Plus this corseted vest alone is weighted for strength training and is dense enough to slow any of you down, but like Piccolo's shoulder pads or Goku's undershirt, I use it to train my body to be quicker," she added glibly and stood triumphantly next to Bulma while she marveled at the details and Trunks reached unsuccessfully for Sofia's shoulder.

"Is your bra weighted too?" Yamcha drawled sarcastically, earning a sweatdrop from Tien.

"Is that even something you should ask?!" Tien snapped, his cheeks tinting with a slight blush.

"Would you all shut up about her outfit!" Piccolo barked over at the group, ceasing the chatter. "It's past 10am, and there's still no sign of them…"

"Yeah, that's right. So much for being punctual," Tien mused, crossing his arms.

Sofia's demeanor sobered, her expression becoming stoic as she felt anticipation begin to rise inside of her chest. 'This is it…' she unintentionally breathed telepathically.

'What is?' Piccolo answered her, ignoring the chatter of the others as they waxed idly about whether the Androids were running late or the teen from the future was wrong about his warning.

Before she could answer, an explosion rang out from the sky overhead followed by the crash landing of Yajirobe's hovercraft into the ocean.

The next few minutes felt like they were in both slow motion and sped up to her. As the fighters realized what was happening and saw the 2 assailants zoom into the city, they went into tactical mode. Sofia watched as they decided to split up in order to track the Androids, who had no power levels for them to sense. As Gohan rushed to help Yajirobe, the others went into the city below. Goku handed the senzu beans to Bulma for safe keeping before blasting off to the sky to confront the unknown. Hesitating, Sofia went to follow suit, when Piccolo turned and said, "Is this all normal?"

Pausing, she nodded. "Yes, but—"

"Unless something is out of the ordinary, you should stay out of the fight. For now, just wait until Gohan comes back," he cut in before rushing off to follow the others.

Rooted in her spot, Sofia blinked and glanced over at Bulma before staring back down at the sprawling island below. _Is that the right plan…? He doesn't know—ugh, we didn't even discuss this and he's already leaving me on the sidelines._ Miffed, Sofia closed her eyes and reached out to hone in on each of their unique power levels. _Hmm, at least they're all where they're supposed to be. There's Goku…and Tien—_

A raucous explosion suddenly caused a tremor to shoot up the plateau as a small mushroom cloud formed on the southwestern corner of the island. Rushing to the edge, Sofia watched in horror as a few small buildings toppled over and could faintly hear the cries from so high up. Her stomach dropped.

The Androids had just attacked outside of the normal course of events.

Before she registered the impulse, she was blasting off directly towards the explosion, ignoring Bulma's shocked shout from behind her as she rushed towards the chaos, not knowing what was to happen or what awaited her while she possibly faced Androids 19 and 20 by herself.

_How is this already going off the rails…and why?!_


	2. Flaring Tensions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another update! In case anyone is wondering, I plan to post chapters pretty regularly, as I did NOT do what I did with ATS, aka post as I wrote. The reason it took forever to follow up ATS with this story was because I wanted to write the whole thing and only post when it was finished. I do not have a beta/proofreader, unfortunately, so please excuse any typos! I'll edit as I catch them.

"Speech" 'Telepathy' _Thought_

Piccolo was rushing towards the site of the random explosion – with Goku in tow, while his thoughts plagued him on the look Sofia had given him before he'd rushed off into the fray. They hadn't discussed a course of action before, nor would they probably have a chance to discuss it now that the Androids were attacking, but he didn't really know what was the right or wrong approach. Should he have brought her with him to call the discrepancies out if and when they happened? Would she have known enough not to get involved unless it required her intervention?

"I know we've been training with Sofia, so we should have an advantage in fighting foes without a power level, but this is tough!" Goku shouted over at him, distracting him.

"It doesn't help that we don't know what these things look like…" Piccolo grumbled, adding, "We'll just have to sense for the others to make sure none of us get overwhelmed and fade out—"

Another explosion rang out, this time from much farther away.

"Oh no!" Goku shouted as they froze in midair to see the destructive wave of fire begin to rise and smoke gush upwards.

"Dammit. What the hell are those bastards doing?!"

* * *

"That was overzealous of you, don't you think?"

"I hypothesized that rather than seeking out the larger than normal sources of power within our scanner range, it would be more advantageous to create calamity that would most attract those with a higher than normal power level to our location."

Glancing stoically at his counterpart, Android 20 mused, "While I don't fault your methods, I do hope your hypothesis leads us to the one we're seeking."

"I'm picking up the approach of higher than normal power levels. One is several meters and closing," the robotic-voiced Android 19 mused, his blue eyes glowing with a cybernetic scanning as he measured and analyzed the probability of it being Son Goku.

"If it's not the one they call Goku, his power shall make a good point of analysis for later measurement. Not to mention whet our appetites for our real target," Android 20 murmured, cold blue eyes scanning the street below before he began his descent.

* * *

By the time Sofia had reached the site of the explosion, another one had shaken the ground beneath her. Surveying the decimated block, she was woeful to find survivors. The heat and smoke from the fire was distorting her vision, so she used a blast of air from her telekinetic ability to snuff the fire out as best she could. The reality of what she'd seen once as a spectator now being before her in stark detail rattled her. Her senses were inundated, and her mind fought hard to not get bogged down by the terror that was beginning to radiate all around her.

Reaching out with her senses, she picked up Yamcha as being the closest fighter to her. But as soon as her mind honed in on his power level, she began to feel it quickly dim, as if being drained rapidly. _Shit! They got Yamcha already?!_

Blasting off into the direction of the waning power level, she felt her heart pounding as she absently sensed the others rushing to converge on the same site.

* * *

The third explosion had gone off in the same area as they'd last sensed Yamcha. Rushing to aid the scar-faced fighter, Piccolo and Goku could sense that Krillin was the closest who could reach the man within seconds. That did not give them much solace with terror swarming across the city as pedestrians and cars fled, running blindly from the chaos.

_Dammit…I should've let Sofia come with us. We have no clue if this is worse than it should be—_

"Damn. Yamcha's power level is dropping quickly," Goku worried as he flew up beside Piccolo.

"Krillin is almost there. If they can just hold strong…"

* * *

Krillin had just arrived to find Yamcha dangling from the grasp of Android 20. The limpness of his limbs was the first thing he noticed, until he saw the gaping hole in his friend's back before he was dropped unceremoniously to the ground.

The horror was written all over the former monk's face. "No! Yamcha," he shouted. "You bastards!"

"With 95% percent certainty, the power profile of Krillin is detected. Others are converging on the site," Android 19 methodically mused, eyes flashing red like a computer giving off a calculation.

"You may have this one for yourself," Android 20 stated plainly, shifting to allow the machine to step over Yamcha for direct attack route towards Krillin.

Before the chubby cyborg could clasp his extended palm over the shaking fighter's mouth, he was kicked with so much force across the side of his face that he was propelled into another building near the blown out gas station.

Registering only mild surprise, Android 20 fixed his cold gaze at the tall figure that stood between him and the shorter fighter. When the figure turned to glare at him, his mild expression become one of complete confusion as her almond-shaped eyes and hoop earrings registered to him as anomalies.

"Where did you come from?!" Krillin wheezed behind Sofia as she kept her stare fixed on the Android, ignoring when the other emerged from the rubble of the building to fix it's odd mechanical expression on her. "Thanks, by the way," he added as he slowly fell into his fighting stance.

"Sorry I'm late…" she offered in a murmur, adding, "Krillin. Get Yamcha. He's still alive and can be healed, but you gotta get him back to the plateau."

"What about you?" the former monk hesitated, standing by her side as the other cyborg walked back over to join the elder looking cyborg standing across from them.

"He's not going to last much longer. Get him and get out of here. I'll cover you," Sofia instructed in a low voice, her eyes focused on the Android she knew to be Dr. Gero.

"Android 19?" the curt call was quickly answered by the red computer-like scanning of the pale-faced Android's eyes as he assessed Sofia. His vision registered her form and took a snapshot of her face, algorithms ticking and power level scanner trying to ascertain her strength as his identity reader spanned catalogues of fighters in his CPU's memory storage, but came up with 'UNKNOWN' as the conclusion. A nano second after, her power level reading came back 'ANOMOLY.'

"…Inconclusive," the corpulent Android announced in a monotone to his partner.

"Analysis?" Android 20 requested.

"Life form of unknown species or origin. Power level not on a spectrum our scanners can detect or measure. Pressure and speed of previous blow suggest power level of higher than normal rate, but inconclusive profile registration. No previous records. More data required," Android 19 dictated while Krillin took the chance to gather the injured Yamcha up and prop him on his shoulder.

"Humph," Dr. Gero stared Sofia down, feeling an eerie recollection pulling at him at the familiarity of her appearance.

"Krillin!" Tien shouted as he descended from the sky, quickly followed by Piccolo and Goku, who stared at the Androids ahead of them before being shocked to see Yamcha is such dire straights.

"Go, Krillin. Take Yamcha and get out of here. I left the bag of Senzu Beans with Bulma. Get him back there and make him eat one," Goku instructed with a crisp edge. "His life is in your hands."

"Right," Krillin's courage finally bubbled to the surface as he took flight with his injured friend at his side.

'Sofia—'

'I'm fine.'

His intense stare slid from her to the foes across from them. "So, these are the fearsome Androids. Don't look like much to me," he muttered, staring both odd cyborgs down.

"Humph. You've identified us as Androids without any prior indication. And you anticipated our arrival. How did you come to know of our plans?" Android 20 inquired, earning a huff from Piccolo and the others.

"That is inconsequential."

Everyone turned to stare at Sofia.

"But, if you wish to get the answers," she paused and glanced at Android 19, "And the data you seek, let's take this matter out of the city limits. And please," she gestured to Dr. Gero. "You've done plenty of gratuitous destruction. Any more and it'd just be obtuse. Your target is here willing and able to confront you, so let's get this show on the road."

Turning to stare stoically at each other, both Androids assessed the proposition before staring back at the anomalous woman. "This is a matter that does not call for a change of venue, but if its too many bystanders in the vicinity causing concern, that can be easily corrected."

_Shit._

* * *

She avoided the series of lasers Android 20 deployed in their general directions, but she couldn't help feel the goosebumps go up her spine at the feeling of hundreds of lives dimming around them from every energy projectile and detonation. The heat of the fires was astounding – nothing she'd ever felt before. The only thing that stopped the one-sided firefight was Goku's incensed bellow and punch that caused Android 20 to cease in his attacks and stagger, his hat toppling off his clear-domed skull.

"How could you!?" Goku snapped, enraged.

"If you insist on carrying on, then fine. Lead the way and we shall follow, Goku."

All shocked by the Android's familiarity with not just the Saiyan but the rest of them as well, they managed to shove the unnerving fact to the side once Goku demanded they follow him away from the city.

_Ok…we're back on track, at least. These assholes are gonna be dust in about an hour, which can't come soon enough,_ Sofia thought as she followed their lead, falling into formation next to Piccolo as they made direct course for an isolated plain near a precarious range of jagged and rocky hills that she knew would be the venue for Dr. Gero's wild goose chase. Looking ahead, she noticed Goku was looking weary when the Androids suddenly announced they didn't need to go any further. _Dammit…that's right. The heart virus is going to kick in just when he starts fighting._

Piccolo glanced at Sofia, seeing the flash of concern cool her eyes as she set the rest of her expression into that unreadable mask of hers. As they descended to land, he assessed their surroundings. "A pretty flat terrain, but with these surrounding hills, it's a good spot for them to hide if they so need…"

Tien was noticing Goku's sudden fatigue, and wondered why he could be winded after just flying. Sofia was watching Goku as well, a fact Piccolo was intently keeping track of, seeing as he himself had told her not to share any insight on what would happen. But, could her concern about something occurring out of the ordinary be keeping her so attentive on her friend?

* * *

It wasn't until Gohan and the others landed and announced the Androids' energy absorption capabilities, Goku's winded fighting and Android 19 turning the tables that Piccolo realized Sofia's unreadable mask had been to protect them all from her spoiling what was to come in the battle. The moment Goku backed off and gripped his chest, he knew a pivotal moment was now before them, one Sofia was measuring astutely and analyzing for any divergence of sequence.

Even after Krillin had tossed a Senzu Bean to Goku, Sofia's expression hadn't changed. Instead, she kept glancing about every so often, as if she was trying to get a reading of some faraway source.

_Dammit. I don't sense Vegeta. He should be back on Earth already heading this way, but I don't—wait…there he is. Shit—he's still up in the stratosphere?!_ Sofia jerked her head up and glared in the quadrant she sensed him slowly descending, hundreds of miles away from their current site. _What the hell! He's not going to make it in time…_ Staring over just as Android 19 began to pummel Goku, Sofia gritted her teeth. She helplessly watched with the others as Goku was thrashed, leaving him weak and stunned as he fell to his knees before yet another blow doubled him into the ground. _No—I can't just watch anymore. If Vegeta isn't here in minutes, he's going to kill Goku!_

The others rushed forward to help, but Android 20 thwarted their advance, keeping them at bay from being able to interfere. That was her only opening.

Just as Android 19 began to strangle Goku to syphon energy from him, Sofia phased in and planted her boot across his left cheek, sending him barreling into the dirt half a football field's distance away.

At that very same time, Android 20 had shot Piccolo with his lasers, clipping him in the left corner of his chest and sending his sprawling to the ground below. Sofia turned and shouted, enraged and wanting to run to Piccolo's side, but she couldn't leave Goku undefended. "Dammit!" she crouched down and helped her friend sit up. "Goku…stay with me. You can't pass out. Not yet, ok?" she murmured to him, propping his arm over her shoulders as she cajoled him to stand. "We gotta go. C'mon, buddy."

She sensed Vegeta finally entering the lower stratosphere. Her mind was whirring with what to do. 'Piccolo, are you ok?' she plucked their rapport.

'Yeah, I'm fine, but what're you doing—?!'

'Stop playing possum and get over here! Bring Yamcha. I need both of you to help,' she instructed, her tone crisp with authority as she glared at Android 19 as he slowly made his way back to his feet.

"Yamcha…when I say go, get to Sofia and Goku," Piccolo muttered over at the scar-faced fighter.

"Huh? Uh, oh—right," Yamcha concentrated on waiting for his moment.

"Hey! Android 20!" Sofia shouted, distracting the cyborg to give the guys a chance to double back around him. "You're not the only one who knows everything about your opponents. As a matter of fact, I know your secret. Would you like me to share it with the group?"

"Hmph? What are you implying?" the cybernetic version of Dr. Gero sweatdropped, not realizing Yamcha and Piccolo had used the opportunity to cut over to her side until he landed and whirled around to face her accusation. "Ah, just a distraction? Clever—"

"No distraction. I do know your secret. Android 20 is your new moniker, but it is _not_ the name you were _born_ with, is it?"

Freezing, the Android actually began to sweat. "…Just who are you, girl?"

"Yeah, hold that thought for a minute?" she snidely grinned before snapping in a terse whisper to Yamcha, "Take Goku's other arm. We're getting him home so he can take the heart virus cure. But first, we need him to buck up long enough for him to use Instant Transmission in order to make it there quicker. I'll double back once we get there—"

"What?!" Piccolo and Yamcha snapped in unison.

"Listen to me! I don't have time to explain," she cut in, baring her fangs at them. "Piccolo: you and the others need to hold these Androids off for about…10 more minutes. I'm going to try to be back in 6, but if I'm not…you have to last until the cavalry arrives. Understand?"

"Goku's in a lot of pain though! There's no way he's strong enough to muster the energy," Yamcha lamented as he took Goku's other arm and threw it over his shoulders.

"He will be." Squeezing Goku's side affectionately, Sofia telepathically pried into his pained thoughts. 'Goku, listen to me. I'm going to give you a jump charge. Like we practiced, remember? Once I do, you have to use Instant Transmission and take us home, ok?'

Groaning and gritting his teeth, Goku nodded. "Piccolo…cover us," she stated, raising her left hand and supercharging it with a flux of special crimson and golden energy she'd been developing in secret, harnessing the ki to pulsate until it was the right amount of calibrated power it needed to be.

Piccolo glanced at the oddity, not knowing what technique she was using, but stepped in front of her to guard from any attacks.

'Ready?' she prodded Goku telepathically, and when the Saiyan gritted his teeth and gave a curt nod, she placed her pulsating hand on his chest, the energy shooting into his chakras to coalesce and rev his internal ki to spike.

Goku limply but quickly placed two fingers to his forehead and suddenly the three fighters laboriously winked out of sight.

Left blinking in shock at the sudden disappearance, Android 20 looked over at Android 19. "Peculiar. Definitely not part of our calculations," the cyborg muttered. "No matter. We will track them down once we've defeated and drained your energy," he stated as he regarded Piccolo, who was quickly joined by Tien, Krillin and Gohan as they phased to stand in their fighting stances at his side.

"We're on our own for a bit, so we need to do our best to keep these two here and not let them get the best of us. Understood?" Piccolo muttered to the others, earning curt nods of approval as they steeled themselves for the fight ahead.

"Android 19: show them why we're superior cybernetic beings, and do take your time in doing so."

* * *

The tranquil early summer day in the valley was one filled with wayward breezes and birds chirping overhead. Humming a simple tune as she tidied up the kitchen, Chi-Chi managed to not fret about Gohan and his interrupted studies for the first time that morning. Smiling at one of the framed pictures of her family, she went back to humming her tune.

" _AAAAAH!_ "

The guttural cry came suddenly from the front yard and startled her bad enough to drop her broom as she rushed to the front door. Yanking it open, she was shocked to find Goku huddled on the ground in excruciating pain, Yamcha and Sofia at his side trying to prop him back up to stand. "Oh Kami! WHAT'S HAPPENED?! Goku?!" she exclaimed and rushed to her husband's side, feeling helpless as she watched him contort in pain and grip his chest while his pained wails continued to echo around them in the valley.

"It's the heart virus, Chi-Chi," Sofia explained and struggled to get Goku to stand, using her body to prop him up while Yamcha circled his friend's waist as he began to try and hobble him into the small cottage. "He needs his medicine – the little bottle that he got 3 years ago. Please find it!"

Desperate, Chi-Chi rushed into the house to do as she was told, allowing Yamcha and Sofia to carry Goku in and rush him to the bedroom so they could lay him on his marital bed as he continued to struggle with the ravages of chest pain.

"Oh man, he's hurting bad!" Yamcha forlornly lamented as he restrained Goku from thrashing in pain off of the bed. "Is that medicine really gonna help him?"

"Yes. It's a cure to the virus. It's just going to take awhile to take effect once he takes it, so you'll have to stay and help him, ok?" Sofia explained while her eyes softened at seeing her friend in pain and feeling helpless guilt for not being able to take the agony away from him.

Yamcha saw that emotion in her eyes, and for the first time saw her true character. She wasn't just a loudmouth, fiery tempered she-devil with an affinity for ragging on him. It was clear that she really cared for Goku and had gone out on a limb to get involved in the fight to defend him. Had not for her quick thinking and preparation, he would've had to take the injured hero away from the battle on his own, and probably wouldn't have even been halfway to Mt. Paozu by now.

"Here! Will this cure him?" Chi-Chi rushed in with the little medicine bottle Trunks had given Goku. Handing it to Yamcha, she watched as he tried to feed a dose of the cure to Goku, who struggled. Sofia helped hold the fighter steady so he could drink the medicine. "Oh Goku…my poor Goku!" the raven-haired woman began to weep, shaking with grief. "Why did this happen?!"

"He'll be alright, Chi-Chi. He just needs to rest," Sofia stood and walked towards the door. "I have to go back—"

"Wait! You know everything that's supposed to happen, but you didn't stop this from happening to my Goku!" Chi-Chi whirled on Sofia and cornered her, eyes trembling with anger and fear. "Why didn't you tell him to take the medicine?! He's in agony, and you could've prevented it!"

"Chi-Chi, I'm sorry—" Sofia began in defense, but was steamrolled as the angry woman began to wail and rave.

"Why wouldn't you help him and prevent this from happening?! We've been your friends – Goku's been your friend and we've let you be part of our family all this time, and you couldn't warn him that he'd get sick? How could you!?"

"Whoa! Chi-Chi, take it easy, would yah!?" Yamcha interjected, leaving Goku's bedside to reason with his friend's wife. "Cut her some slack! She helped us get here—"

"She should've done more than that!" she bellowed, now bawling as she hiccupped, "She should've stopped this from happening and protected him! Why else is she even here if she's not going to help stop terrible things from happening?!"

Yamcha snapped his mouth shut, at a loss for what to say. He looked over at Sofia, and for a split second, saw another emotion he hadn't expected.

"I…have to go. Watch Goku, and be sure to take some of the medicine in case the disease is viral. I'll be back as soon as I can…" Sofia stoically replied as she diverted her gaze and rushed out of the room, barreling down the hall and out the front door to take to the sky at a break-neck speed that caused a burst of air to contrail around the front yard.

Crying, Chi-Chi went back and fell to Goku's bedside, sobbing against his chest as he continued to contort and cry out from pain.

Yamcha felt helpless. Standing in the room, he listened to the sounds of grief and pain while his mind replayed the look in Sofia's eyes. The hurt and devastation that had flashed in her crimson depths was something that he wouldn't soon forget.

* * *

Piccolo was panting from the latest pummeling he'd taken from the chubby Android, but it was all he could do to keep his bearings as he watched Krillin, Gohan and Tien take turns getting a beating from the smug-faced cyborg.

"You seem winded, Piccolo. I hope that doesn't mean you've depleted your energy already," Android 20 mused, his tone cold but mocking.

"Quite full of yourself when you've been letting someone else do all the fighting," Piccolo groused, standing and falling back into his fighting stance as he jabbed, "Why don't you come prove you're not just letting your tubby friend do the grunt work because you're not much of a threat yourself."

"Rashly said, but if you have a death wish, then I'd be more than happy to make it reality for you!"

In a flash, Android 20 was in front of Piccolo, shocking him until he felt the fist plow into his stomach, causing him to double over before the next blow sent him crashing into a rocky foothill.

"Piccolo!" Gohan shouted and tried to rush to his friend's aid, but was thwarted by the other Android appearing and kicking him into Tien.

Piccolo coughed the bile that rose in his throat and spat it to the ground as he pulled himself out of the rubble. He was suddenly unceremoniously hauled up by the front of his cape and head-butted, causing him to shout in pain and his head to snap back as his turban flew off and his forehead began to trickle with purple blood.

"Humph," Android 20 sneered as he raised his palm with the intent of clamping it over the Namekian's mouth. "Ga-UH!" he suddenly shouted from the blow that caught him in the side of his ribcage before it was quickly followed by another bone-crushing kick to the solar plexus that propelled him with force into an adjacent outcropping of rocks.

Piccolo dropped to his knees and coughed, wiping the blood out of his eyes as he stared up to see who'd intervened.

"Jesus tap-dancing-Christ. You look rough," the distinctive greeting was undeniable.

"What took you so long?" Piccolo warily snickered as he stood, shaking off his dizziness to focus on the battlefield.

Seeing the slowly healing cut above his brow that was still trickling droplets of blood, Sofia had to quell her impulse of brushing his face protectively. "…I know…I need to get faster," she murmured as she glared across at Dr. Gero when he pulled himself out of the blown rock crater she'd blasted him into. Glancing at Android 19, who'd paused in his assault of Krillin, Tien and Gohan, she drawled, "We just need to hold these fools off for a few more minutes. I have an idea for a way to stall…but it involves me saying something I shouldn't."

"What do you mean?" Piccolo muttered as he stood next to her.

"Well, the meddlesome, anomalous girl is back. I do say: it is quite inconvenient that our scanners cannot detect your power level. But, that will be the last time you get the drop on either of us," Android 20 groused as he dusted his shoulders and righted his hat.

"Let's continue where we left off. You've made your goal quite plain, and your motives even had Goku irked by how frivolous they were, but lucky for you I know a lot more about the situation and your current circumstances than you'd probably care for…Dr. Gero," Sofia stated caustically, dropping the bomb that had everyone on the battlefield flummoxed, including the cyborg version of the scientist she'd just outed.

"What?! How could you—who in the hell are you?!" Dr. Gero fumed, now truly on guard.

"Wait—isn't that the guy who was supposed to have created the Androids?!" Krillin stammered.

"Yes, that's right!" Gohan stated, earning a nonplussed grunt from Tien.

"This data is not enough to produce conclusions of this being's knowledge base," Android 19 mused robotically to Dr. Gero. "Further analysis is required. May I engage as a target?"

Growling, Dr. Gero scowled. "Yes. Initiate your offensive on this girl," he instructed coldly.

"Sofia—" Piccolo began, but paused when she phased out from his side to stand across from Android 19. "Wait, dammit!"

"Tien, Krillin, and Gohan. Fall back," Sofia ordered in a cool hiss, standing casually before the cyborg with her arms at her sides. "Don't get involved. Just make sure you keep an eye on Dr. Gero," she continued and glanced at Gohan. "I said _go_ , kid!"

"You don't have to tell me twice," Krillin stammered as he rushed off to the side by where Piccolo was glowering.

"Let us give you backup, Sofia," Tien offered in a measured tone, his third eye sliding over at the Android.

"Trust me, you guys."

With that petition, Gohan and Tien begrudgingly left Sofia alone to stand across from the corpulent Android.

Smiling mockingly, the pale-faced Android mused, "Probability of your success in battle against me is only 12 percen—Gauh!"

With cunning speed, Sofia had cut the distance and planted her boot upwards into the cyborg's stomach from her sliding kick before seamlessly spinning her other leg out to swipe him off of his feet just as she flipped upwards to spin in the air and propel both her heels square into his chest as she spiked him into the ground.

"Whoa!" Krillin shouted in surprise, while the others were stunned by the flurry of blows Sofia unleashed on the Android.

"She's incredibly fast!" Tien was impressed, while Gohan and Piccolo watched on as if that was only the beginning.

When Android 19 countered with his own flurry of punches, Sofia dodged them before materializing behind him and planting her fist into his kidney-area, repeatedly punching the spot before spinning and jamming her elbow into the middle of his back to blast him unceremoniously into a rocky hill that splintered and caved down around him.

_Damn! This meddlesome girl is a force we did not account for. Without being able to properly detect her energy, there's no certainty in being able to successfully defeat her…_ Dr. Gero mused as he watched his compatriot blast free from the rubble and rush at her. _I'll have to give him the advantage…_

Blocking a series of punch combos from the pale-faced cyborg, Sofia measured her speed to better concentrate the force of her blows once she spun into his blindside and hammered him with an assault of roundhouse kicks and sharp palm hits into his lower back. _I just gotta keep overwhelming him with blows and not let him get his energy nodes on me—!_

"Sofia! Look out!" Piccolo shouted, distracting her from blocking the blow that she instead dodged to come face-to-face with Dr. Gero.

Clasping his hands around her neck, he began to squeeze, chocking her and instantly beginning the debilitating technique that drained her slowly of her energy. Sofia clawed at his forearms and gasped, feeling the syphoning of her energy begin to sap her instincts as she struggled to get out of the cyborg's grasp.

"C'mon, Android 19! Grab her and—Bah!" the blow that cracked Dr. Gero across the side of his face threw him violently into the other Android and sent both barreling into more rocks while Sofia gasped and fell to the ground.

_Holy shit! That was close…_ Trying to regain her senses, she clawed up to a kneeling position and tried catching her breath as she glanced laboriously up at the figure that was eclipsing the sun. The flame-like mane was unmistakable.

"As much as I enjoy having you kneel at my feet, it might be a good time to get the hell out of my way, stealth."

Huffing a laugh and giving him a lopsided smirk, Sofia stretched out her hand to him and rasped, "Help a lady stand, oh powerful Prince Vegeta?"

Snorting, Vegeta slapped her hand away. "Stand up yourself," he grumbled, shooting a mocking look around as he ascertained the battlefield. "Where the hell is Kakarot?"

Goofily sighing, Sofia laboriously stood and dusted herself off. "Heart virus. He's recovering while the cure kicks in, so he'll be out of commission for a bit. And you're late as fuck because…?" she snapped matter-of-factly before drawling acerbically the question.

"You can't rush excellence," was all he offered as he smirked cockily at her.

Off on the sidelines, Piccolo was grinding his teeth while the others were astounded by Vegeta's surprise intervention.

"Well. Yet another pawn has entered the field? No matter."

Dr. Gero and Android 19 recovered from their blows to step back onto the field.

"For what it's worth…thanks," Sofia stated and gave Vegeta a curt bow before turning on her heel and falling back with the others. "Whoop their asses, bub!"

Vegeta snickered gruffly at that, taking his cross-armed stance to glare over at his latest targets.

"Permission to destroy the one known as Vegeta," Android 19 requested, earning a huff from Dr. Gero.

"So be it…but I'll have the remaining warriors, so enjoy your morsel," Dr. Gero stated as he went to watch the battle from his own side of the grounds.

Once Sofia came up towards the others, they came around and ushered her to the side. "Wow, you did a great job, Sofia!" Gohan shouted.

"Yeah, way to hold your own. It was a dirty trick for that other one to get involved," Krillin chimed in as he dug into the pouch he was holding and fished out a Senzu Bean. "Here, take this!"

"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm ok. We need to conserve the Senzus for real damage," Sofia held her hand up in rejection while her other hand idly rubbed the tension free from her neck, still feeling the ghostly sensation of the fingers that had gripped her throat.

"That's a good idea. Unless we're in dire straights, we should make sure to hold off on using the Senzu Beans," Tien agreed with her as he offered her his forearm so she could take it and ease herself to sit on a boulder.

"You were incredibly reckless."

Snapping her gaze up at Piccolo, she finally noticed the fuming look in his eyes. "What?"

"If we survive this battle, you better learn not to be so cocky and storm into a fight you have no business being in!" Piccolo barked sharply before turning away, retrieving his discarded turban to place it back on his head, adding in a grumble, "If Vegeta hadn't shown up, there was no guarantee any of us could've stepped in to help before that bastard drained you of all your energy."

Huffing with repressed temper and causing her wayward bang to sway as it and other loose strands hung messily free from her once tight ponytail, Sofia's eyes narrowed before she begrudgingly stared off to the battle. The tumult of emotions she was feeling began to stifle her mind, so she repressed them – compartmentalizing with the rest of the tumultuous feelings she was swallowing from earlier to dwell on them later.

Tien coughed and uncomfortably pretended not to have been witness to the tension while Gohan frowned and Krillin muttered absently, "At least we'll all get a break from getting kicked around for a bit…"

* * *

Her anger and umbrage was quickly forgotten the moment Vegeta began to fight Android 19. Seeing such an iconic battle from such a vantage point was mesmerizing and insane – the level of his power as a Super Saiyan was intensely unique from Goku's.

As soon as Android 19 gripped Vegeta's arms and triumphantly opined how he'd lost, she knew it was over for the chubby robotic-voiced cyborg.

Ripping the robot's node-clad hands off, Vegeta smirked and relished seeing the fear and cowardly desperation of the Android as he barreled out of the hole and ran for his life. Jumping back as he unleashed his Big Bang Attack, the crew shielded their eyes as the dustup covered the grounds and the tremor shook their surroundings. Android 19's severed head clattered to the ground, heralding the end of one half of the battle.

After he bluffed the fear of god into Dr. Gero, Vegeta took advantage of the Android's retreat to petition for a Senzu Bean. When Krillin hesitated, Sofia dropped her arms to her sides dramatically and scoffed, "Give him one. He depleted a lot of energy fighting tubby."

"Well, alright," Krillin muttered begrudgingly before tossing the former foe a Senzu Bean.

Crunching the bean and instantly powering up, Vegeta snidely snapped, "I'll decimate that damned machine, so why don't you all screw off and stay out of my way!" before blasting off after Dr. Gero.

Sighing, Sofia glanced up at Piccolo when he muttered, "Vegeta's gambit paid off. He knew he had to get the Android in close, sever his hands and wipe him out with a blast. Had the other one taken the bait, he most likely would've lost…his battle savvy is beyond that of most. He played the situation to perfection. I'm not sure anyone could beat him…even Goku."

"…He truly is a genius," Sofia mused offhandedly, adding to his brooding because it's what he'd thought of, but hadn't let escape his lips.

"Well I'm not about to leave my fate in the hands of that bastard," Tien groused contumely, his hate for the man still strong, even if they had to be allies. "I'm going out there myself."

"Yeah, I'm going too!" Krillin agreed.

Gohan balled up his fists in anticipation as he exclaimed, "I'm not staying behind! I trained hard to help, so I'm going to fight too—"

"Enough! We have to be tactical. I forbid you, and you—" Piccolo pointed to Gohan and Sofia, "from fighting. You can help us track the Android. He'll be hiding amongst the rocks to ambush us, and we can't sense him. If you see him, come tell Vegeta or me. Got it?"

"Right!" Gohan curtly nodded while Sofia raised a skeptical eyebrow at her twin star.

"It's not going to be that simple," she mused, her tone dubious.

"Unless you tell us exactly what's going to happen, you don't have a choice, do you," Piccolo snapped, his scowl sharp as he turned to the others and added, "Let's go. The more time we waste, the easier for Gero to escape."

And with that, he led the way as he blasted off into the sky, quickly joined by Krillin and Gohan, while Tien hesitated next to her.

"Look, you don't have to take all this on by yourself. Maybe you should divulge some of the sequence of events, so we can better handle things when they fall out of pattern—?"

"Tien, you're sweet for saying that, but that's a slippery slope. Look how much stuff has gone off the rails just from you guys getting a heads up from the future? And that's WITHOUT me spilling what I know. I can't take the chance of forewarning you guys and making shit worse…" she sighed and gave him a sad smile. "Let's go."

Nodding, he followed her lead as they sped up to join the others.

By the time they converged in the air above the hills the others were searching through, Sofia's mind was whirring with everything that was supposed to happen next while still keeping her senses sharp for any divergence in events.

Suddenly, they heard a shout from Krillin before they witnessed Vegeta blast a powerful energy sphere with the intent to level the area and flush out the Android, but instead only succeeded in providing the cyborg with the energy recharge he needed. Gero greedily absorbed the energy blast with the nodes on his open palms before hightailing it deeper into the rocky terrain, with Vegeta in toe after him.

"Dammit! That arrogant bastard just gave the Android the recharge he needed," Tien groused between clenched jaw; hands balled into fists at his side.

Frowning, Sofia ventured, "I don't blame you for being pissed, but don't get weighed down by your distaste for Vegeta. He can be a real asshole, sure, but he sauntered in much later than he was supposed to in this battle; didn't have the full benefit of intel that we've had. For better or worse, we all need to be focused and put grudges and resentments aside, cool?"

Offering her a brooding glance before shifting his gaze to the side, Tien grumbled, "Yes, that's fair…I'm going down to search. If you need me, just holler." The triclops descended from the air and landed on an outcropping of rocks to join in the search for the Android while she remained in the air, reaching out with her mind to suss out where everyone else was. Without much effort she picked up on Vegeta as he patrolled the hills a half mile away. Piccolo was also in the air perusing the terrain with his keen senses. _That's right…Gero is going to go ambush him soon._

Against her objective judgment, she started to fly in direction for her twin star when she paused and looked southeast, sensing a large power level. _Hey…that must be Trunks! He's still a ways off, but at least he's right on schedule,_ she mused to herself as she looked back in the direction she'd been flying towards. Gohan, Krillin and Tien were searching in three different directions below when, unbidden, her mind replayed the anger and frustration she'd been on the receiving end of by Chi-Chi. Faltering in her concentration, she began to feel the anxiety and guilt of before creep into her chest before forming a hot knot of unshed tears in the back of her throat. Shaking her head, she swallowed the hurt and admonished herself. _I can't think of that! Just need to focus and not let anything bad that isn't supposed to happen go down—!_

'Sofia,' Piccolo plucked their telepathic rapport.

Sobering, she responded, 'I'm here,' her tone guarded so her twin star didn't sense the hurt she'd just been harboring.

'Any signs of Gero?' he asked while he floated above his search quadrant, eyes focused on the rocky hills and crevices below.

'Not after Vegeta unintentionally blasted a recharge down on him—'

'Ugh, that fucking jackass – I can't decide if he's more of a liability than an ally,' he growled.

'Keep your eyes peeled, Piccolo. Unfortunately, all of you guys are accustomed to tracking ki, so Gero is able to slink about amongst the rock faces and hills—'

'Yeah, but you're not on our radar either, so give us some credit. Gohan and I have trained with you long enough to know when to rely on our other senses for tracking,' he muttered, his tone harder than he'd intended.

Ruefully shaking her head, she continued to fly towards his location. 'Just humor me? Or are you still blowing me off because you think I'm so reckless?' she jabbed back at him, keeping the hurt out of her tone, but her miffed attitude seeped through.

Piccolo internally rolled his eyes at that. 'You're really going to pick a fight now?'

Scoffing over their rapport, Sofia snapped, 'Me?! I'm not the one picking a fight with you—'

'Just do me a favor and stow whatever this is then for later. There's plenty I have to say about—GAH!' Piccolo cut in to diffuse their discussion when he was suddenly grappled from behind.

'Piccolo!' Sofia panicked as she began to sense his energy level wane. _That sonuvabitch is syphoning him of his power at an insanely quick rate!_

Blasting off to get to where she sensed the attack happening, Sofia zoomed around steep rocky hills and caught up to the situation just as Gohan appeared and counterattacked Dr. Gero with a swift double-fisted punch to unlatch him from Piccolo's back. Barreling down to the ground, the cyborg gritted his jaw at being taken by surprised.

Looking at Piccolo, she noticed he was weak and winded as he barely kept himself in flight. Phasing to be next to him, she grabbed the back of his cape and leaned her side into his to keep him steady while Gohan was floating in front of him to keep guard.

"Thanks, Gohan. You came just in the knick of time," Piccolo panted, sweat trickling down the side of his face.

"He drained you of a lot of energy," Sofia mused as Piccolo firmly steeled himself and nudged her away. "Piccolo—"

"I'm fine…" he cut in with a surly huff, his onyx glare focused down on the Android.

In an instant, the rest of the Z Warriors who'd been split up searching different quadrants of the terrain all congregated on the site, surrounding Dr. Gero.

"Well, look who's finally come out of hiding," Vegeta sarcastically drawled.

Dr. Gero began to sweat as he assessed his options.

"Krillin! Give Piccolo a Senzu Bean," Gohan petitioned, and the former monk did as he was asked, throwing one of the healing beans to Piccolo. Munching the bean in a few bites, he was instantly healed, allowing him the agility to zip down to float across from Dr. Gero. "Piccolo!"

Sofia hesitated, but gripped Gohan's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. 'He's ok, kid.'

Looking over his shoulder at her, the demi-Saiyan nodded curtly at her. "Right."

Sizing the cyborg up with a withering glare, Piccolo snatched his turban and weighted cape off to clatter to the ground below as he snapped, "Back off, Vegeta. He's mine. Don't even try to interfere."

Smirking acerbically, the Saiyan sarcastically drawled, "If you want to die, I won't stop you. But be sure not to provide him with anymore of your energy, Namek."

Sofia rolled her eyes. _Those two need to quit being so macho all the damned time…_

In an instant, Piccolo phased and slammed his knee into the cyborg, blitzing him with his power and speed. The blow was such that it spiked him into a rock face. By the exasperated expression he was sporting, Sofia knew Gero couldn't compute how her twin star could've recovered and been so much stronger than what his data file had deduced. Advancing to strike Piccolo, he was clearly flummoxed when the Namekian easily avoided his attack and elbowed him with bruising force to the ground below. _So far, so good,_ she thought before her mind pinged on the quickly advancing power level from earlier. Before she could let her mind wander to Trunks, Piccolo began to thrash Dr. Gero for a solid 5 minutes – pummeling him with ease and causing him to crash into several rocky hills and inclines before he laboriously dug himself out to sputter about being bested by a fighter he had calculated to be easily beatable.

Sneering, Sofia couldn't help but shout, "Seriously, man. If the whole time you've been getting your ass whooped hasn't taught you that your data and calculations have been flawed as fuck, maybe he should draw you a diagram and drill it into your clear-domed skull!"

Vegeta snickered at that, which only succeeded in incensing the power-hungry cyborg. Snarling, Dr. Gero snapped, "How dare you insult me, you damned meddlesome girl! Once I'm through draining this sorry lot, I will take my time extracting all of the energy and information I need from you. Mark my words!"

"Mighty threat when you aren't even able to watch your back!" Piccolo shouted as he phased in and bashed the doctor with a kick to the base of his spine before appearing in a flash to slam his fist into his face and propel him like a pinball into one peak before bouncing sharply into another.

Sofia internally swooned. _Look at my man showing out._ She smirked when Piccolo glanced at her. _Note to self: Try not to pounce on him before the battle is over~!_

Suddenly, Gero rose from the ground to lunge at Piccolo – palm extended out in hopes of latching onto him to drain his energy in the moment of distraction. Before he could reach him, however, Piccolo gripped his forearm and squeezed. "What she said was right: even if your calculations were correct, draining us of our energy would mean noting, since you haven't learned to amplify it the way we've trained to. You've grossly underestimated our abilities," and with a snide chuckle, Piccolo sliced the Android's hand clean off, exposing the circuits and wires of the limb before crushing the appendage effortlessly and tossing it aside, to the horror of Dr. Gero.

As the cyborg balked at his current predicament, Gohan cheered. "Alright! I knew he wouldn't stand a chance against Piccolo. History's totally changed for the better now," the young pre-teen exclaimed, his self-assured smirk turning towards Sofia for validation. When she glanced at him and forced her expression into that stoic mask of hers, Gohan's excitement faltered. "Right…?"

Catching the look Sofia gave his rival's son, Vegeta catalogued it as decidedly not good. Before he could dwell on it, however, Piccolo went back on the offense, thrashing the Android with a blow that sent him spiraling into the rocks below before he clumsily recovered and tried to make a run for it in order to hide before the next onslaught. When he peeked around to glance from his hiding place, he was startled by the swift energy sphere Piccolo fired to devastate his current location.

When the dust cleared, Gero laboriously pulled himself out of the crater the blast had created before glaring with exasperation up at the fighters. "I calculated every contingency without leaving anything to chance! What in the world could account for this aberration?!" he snapped in frustration.

Sofia sighed, earning a tense look from Tien and raised eyebrows from Gohan. "This guy is slow on the uptake…" she drawled and crossed her arms.

"We've trained to thwart your plans, so none of your calculations could ever account for the knowledge we were given about 2 Androids coming to cause destruction and wipe out anyone who stood in their way. Either you weren't nearly as powerful as we were warned you'd be, or we're stronger than your damned calculations accounted for," Piccolo smugly stated, arms flexed and ready for another offensive attack.

Krillin couldn't help but chuckle nervously at that. "I'm just glad we didn't need Goku's help after all. We did it!"

"I hate to admit it, but it looks like the day's been won, with little effort…" Tien mused, clearly dealing with the chagrin of not having contributed much to the battle.

"Hurry up and send this bastard to the scrap yard. Unless you need me to step in and finish the job, Namek," Vegeta barked, his tone goading.

Sofia covertly glanced in the direction she could feel Trunks barreling towards them from, and began to feel the same anxiety of before creep up her spine for some reason.

"I told you to stay out of it, Vegeta. Just because I'm not as full of myself as you, doesn't mean I can't put him out of commission. Don't let my allegiances fool you: I'm not called the Demon King for nothing," Piccolo's snarky and gruff jab earned a huff of condescension from the Saiyan Prince before they both seemed to finally sense the approaching power level Sofia had pinged onto earlier.

She was already glancing over in the direction they now turned to regard as the lavender-haired demi-Saiyan from the future appeared in front of them as he skidded to a halt in his rushed flight.

"Trunks came back?!" Piccolo exclaimed, startling Vegeta – who was slowly realizing he was the father of this Super Saiyan from the future – into silence while the others marveled at the surprise arrival.

"This is the Android you've been battling?!" Trunks stared in shock down at the odd cyborg, the tension coming off of him as he stated caustically, "He's not one of the Androids of my time…!"

"Wait, what?! Tell me I heard that wrong," Krillin exclaimed, beginning to sweat while Gohan balked at the admittance.

"Impossible… how could that be?!" Tien gasped, all three eyes wide in bewilderment.

"I don't know—! Oh," Trunks finally glanced about and noticed Sofia, and for a moment he was disarmed by her cool and calm demeanor before it registered to him that she might know exactly what was going on. "I-uh, hey, Sofia! Can you fill me in? You gotta know what's happening, right?" He turned to face her, expression eager and pleading as he gestured down to a nervously fuming Dr. Gero. "He's clearly part of a generation of Androids created by Dr. Gero, but he's not one of the monsters that attacked in my timeline—!"

"But, that _IS_ Dr. Gero," Gohan remarked, earning a startled glance from Trunks, and a gruff grunt of confusion from Vegeta.

"What?!" Both father and son barked in disbelief, earning a sweatdrop from Sofia.

"Yeah, about that—" Sofia comically began to wave her hands back and forth to deflect having to explain anything, but was cut off once the sound of a Capsule Corp hoverjet got louder and came into view as it zipped around the airspace above them. _Oh crap…!_

"Wait, who's that?!" Krillin shouted and pointed at the sky. "Don't tell me that's Bulma!"

In a panic, Trunks shouted at the hoverjet and gestured for them to leave immediately. "No! It's too dangerous for you to be here—!"

Snickering dastardly, Dr. Gero decided to finally make his move. "Hah – you fools don't even know the beginning of the level of devastation I shall unleash on you! My Androids Number 17 and 18 will carry on in my stead the moment I'm gone, and my revenge will rain upon you all!" As he maniacally proclaimed his intentions, he charged up a blitz energy attack that would distract his pursuers long enough for him to escape on foot in hopes of reaching his secret lab. The energy sphere caused tremors and violent turbulence to sack the area, leading Bulma's hoverjet to spiral in the undulating blast current.

In the chaos, Sofia and Trunks rushed to phase through the blowback of the blast to save the passengers in the now crashed and crumbled hoverjet. While Trunks was able to snatch his mother and younger self out of the cabin and carry them to safety, Sofia snagged Yajirobe and held him bridal style in her arms as she hovered in the air above the wreckage.

"Uhhh… thanks for the assist, lady," the portly wild-haired fighter stammered before sweatdropping and realizing how ridiculous he looked being carried by a woman. "How 'bout you get me back on solid ground now?"

"Hey, I could've let you drop and hit every rock on the way down, but I was trying to be nice here," she snickered as she quickly descended and pointedly dropped him on his rump to grit his teeth and wince. "I'll be sure to not be so considerate next time…"

Stalking over to where Trunks was kneeling besides Bulma, who was cradling a crying baby Trunks, Sofia was joined by Krillin and Gohan as they flew down to check on their friend. While they asked if Bulma and Yajirobe were ok, Trunks was fixated on glaring up at his father, who was callously ignoring them as he continued to look for the Android. Enraged, he flew up to cut Vegeta off as he laid into him about having not lifted a finger to save Bulma or his child.

"Tch—clearly. That woman and babe are just weaklings that'd get in my way! Never question me, and stay out of my way, welp!" the mercurial Saiyan scathingly snapped at the lavender-haired fighter before blasting off into the sky to continue his search.

Meanwhile, still in the air, Piccolo was scowling as he glared about and snarled, "Dammit! Perfect diversion for him to slip through our fingers." Glancing down as the others congregated around Bulma, he decided to rapidly descend and land just a ways from the group so he could hear what she was confirming about the Android she'd seen.

"—seen pictures of him in scientific and medical journals growing up. That was definitely Dr. Gero, only he clearly has made cybernetic modifications to himself and is more Android than human now," the sea-foam haired genius remarked as she continued to console a fussy Trunks.

"That settles it. Sofia was right," Krillin mused before shouting up at Trunks and Vegeta. "You guys better come hear this! Bulma says that was definitely Dr. Gero, so that means we're pretty screwed if what he said he's going to do is true."

Getting their attention, both father and son converged with the others to talk strategy. That is, after some arguing ensued amongst the fighters.

"Everything you told us has been _wrong_! What the hell have you been playing at, boy?!" Vegeta barked at Trunks. "You said Gero had been killed off by his own damned Androids, and now I'm finding out the tin can we've been fighting is Gero himself?!"

"Whoa—time out!" Sofia interjected and stood between the fuming fighter and his surly son, hands up and in the 'time out' gesture as she continued, "Things have been different, yeah, but there's no point in arguing about it—!"

"Quit lobbying for the boy and get to explaining then, stealth! You _supposedly_ know everything, even more than he does, about what's to transpire. Rather than waste any more of my goddamned time, get to telling us what in the hell is going on," Vegeta groused haughtily, sneering when Sofia rolled her eyes at him.

"You know I can't do that—"

"Bullshit, you can't!" he snarled as he crossed his arms and glared at her, then at Trunks. "Why the hell are you even here then if it's not to tell us what we're fighting and how to stop 'em!?"

She couldn't help the pang of hurt from before cut to her core again at hearing his words as they resonated almost exactly with what Chi-Chi had accused her of before.

"…It's true that events are unfolding differently than I thought they would," Trunks spoke up, adding broodingly, "My messing with the past has probably affected how some events have transpired…."

Seeing that faraway look in Sofia's eyes, Piccolo decided to cut to the core of the matter. "Gero mentioned an Android 17 and 18. Those are the ones from your future, right? We can't keep being careless, so tell us what they look like – everything you can think of that matters so we know what we're up against," he instructed firmly before telepathically prodding Sofia out of her thoughts. 'Hey, you with us?'

Glancing over at him, she whispered telepathically, 'Yeah. Sorry…' and focused on Trunks.

"Yes, ok. Android 17 is a young man with long black hair and an orange scarf tied around his neck. Android 18 is a girl with blonde hair down to her shoulders. They can fit in anywhere among most crowds, and the only ways to really tell them apart from regular humans are the round earrings they wear," he paused and noticed Sofia was wearing hoop earrings very similar to what he remembered. "Sort of like hers, and they have similar eyes as Sofia's, only theirs are as cold as ice."

"Whoa…I didn't expect a girl to be an Android," Krillin mused distractedly while Tien and the others waited for Trunks to continue.

"Well that's part of their destructive allure – no one saw them as a threat, or knew how evil they were until it was too late. They're the perfect killers…" Trunks begrudgingly mused.

"Right. And do they also absorb power through their hands too?" Piccolo inquired.

"Uh, no. These Androids are much worse. Their powers…last forever."

"No chance! Infinite power is a myth," Vegeta dismissively spat. "You're just too weak to defeat them!"

Hesitating in responding to the verbal jab from his father, Trunks glared away. Feeling the palpable tension festering and weighing the lavender-haired fighter's thoughts, Sofia cleared her throat and decided to coax him back on track.

"We can argue about their evil qualifications later. For now, Goku is out of commission for a while…so we need to get in gear in tracking Gero," when she musingly muttered the last part, Trunks snapped his blue gaze towards her.

"So the original timeline has really been thrown off track that far?!" Sofia nodded curtly in affirmation. "Damn…then Goku fell ill much later than he did in my time. With Dr. Gero still around and now fitted with cybernetic tech, there's no telling how much worse things have become because of my interference," he sullenly huffed to himself.

Sofia was about to interject, but Vegeta whirled around and barked at Bulma, "Woman! Do you know the location of Gero's secret laboratory?!"

Baby Trunks began to fuss at hearing his father's sharp tone towards his mother. "Ugh! Don't you raise your voice at me and stress out your son, would yah!?" Bulma fumed as she consoled the baby and peeved Vegeta in front of the others. "Now…I think his lab is in the mountains over by North City. Supposedly he converted an empty cave into a secret hideout. If it's still there, that's probably where he's headed," she deduced.

"Well a lot of good knowing THAT does when we've been standing her talking all this through! He's probably made it to his lab and activated those 2 Androids by now," a bewildered Krillin complained.

"Not likely. No one saw Gero take to the air after his attack, so he's most likely on foot trying to traverse this terrain all the way there. He couldn't have gotten far," Vegeta mused.

"I see. So we should have plenty of time to cut him off before he gets to his lair and destroy the Androids before he can activate them—" Piccolo began to rationalize when Vegeta cut him off.

"Fat chance! I'm not going to take the coward's way out after I've trained this long and achieved this height of power. The moment he activates them, I'll take them on! That battle earlier wasn't a challenge at all, and as a Saiyan elite, I demand a worthier opponent," the Saiyan prince snapped arrogantly before ignoring Trunks and his objection before blasting off into the sky.

Trunks tried to cut him off and reason with him. "You can't go off and fight them on your own! At the very least if you insist on confronting them, wait until Goku is healed and can help!"

"How dare you compare my abilities to that low-class clown's, boy! I am royalty and have achieved the level of Super Saiyan that surpasses anything Kakarot has managed, and I refuse to have you meddle in my affairs. Now get out of my way!" Vegeta fumed before blasting off full speed heading north.

Sofia frowned at the exchange. "Too much macho testosterone…" she chortled as she threw her hands up and went over to play with baby Trunks. "Can you believe you and your dad arguing like that? So silly, right?" she chimed aloofly and gave the baby a fangy grin as she tickled him while Bulma held him.

"Maybe Vegeta has reached a level of Super Saiyan that is so powerful he's now stronger than Goku—" Piccolo mused as he watched Sofia before future Trunks huffed and descended to unleash some pent-up angst.

"I can turn Super Saiyan too, and even at my full power, I couldn't slow those damn Androids down! There's no way my father can defeat them by himself going head on when he has no idea how formidable they are. I might not agree with him or like him…but I won't let him go against them on his own." With that, Trunks broodingly blasted off after his father, leaving the others to toil with the next steps.

"Wait…what did you and he just say…? Who's his father?" Bulma inquired and blinked over at Sofia, who glanced back over at her and smiled.

"Might as well fill you in, Bulma. That's Trunks – your son with Vegeta, come from the future. He's who your baby will grow up to be," Piccolo pragmatically explained while Sofia vigorously nodded; Tien, Krillin and Gohan shocked by the reveal of the future fighter's parentage.

"Whaaat?!" Bulma balked before holding Trunks up and inspecting him. "Whoa…sounds like you're going to be quite a handsome, caring and scrappy young man, Trunks. I'm a little relieved you won't turn out too much like your daddy, hahahah," Bulma musingly chortled.

"Well that explains why he's a Super Saiyan…" Krillin chimed while he watched Sofia take the baby into her arms and spin him around playfully.

"Can you believe how wacky this stuff is, Trunks? You and your dad are going to argue all the way to the secret lab of that smelly doctor, so now we all have to rush to catch up while you protect your mom from Yajirobe being a jerk, ok?" she affectionately chatted with the baby, holding his little hand as he responded in baby gibberish.

"Yeah…we should all go find that lab before Vegeta does so we can save ourselves a lot of hassle by putting Android 17 and 18 out of commission. We can't let them get activated. Krillin, Sofia and Tien – you come with me. Gohan: you should take Bulma home to check on Goku. Let him know what's going on if he's feeling better," Piccolo instructed, adding offhandedly, "We shouldn't have much trouble dealing with 2 offline Androids on our own."

_Sigh. Famous last words,_ Sofia thought.

"Uhhh, what about me?! Don't forget I was dragged along here, so you can't just duff me here in the middle of nowhere, alright?!" Yajirobe groused as he pouted at the group.

"Oh c'mon, Yajirobe! You're only going to slow us down," Bulma huffed.

"Oh, it's gonna be a slow flight, but it's all you guys have as options right now," Sofia remarked as she handed the baby back to Bulma and went over to playfully shake Gohan's shoulder. "Be careful, kid. We'll catch up as soon as we can, so don't worry," she smiled, earning a warm grin from her friend.

"Right. Good luck, you guys!"

With that, Sofia and the others took off into the sky to track Vegeta and Trunks, in hopes of gaining on Dr. Gero first and resolving the complications of events before they could get out of control.

Little did they know, their goal was doomed from the start, and even Sofia's insight wouldn't protect her from the fray.


	3. Coarse Evasion

"Speech" 'Telepathy' _Thought *_ _Reminiscing*_

The terrain zipped by below them, morphing from jagged canyons and plateaus to mountains and lush evergreen valleys that were filled with critters scurrying about in the trees and in burrows.

The air was getting crisper with the chill of northern winds, but Sofia barely registered the change. Her mind was whirring with anxious concerns and iterations of "what if" that she let plague her while they tried gaining on Vegeta and Trunks in search of Dr. Gero before the scientist was able to activate the infamous Androids 17 and 18.

Sofia glanced ahead and reached out with her mind to ping onto the distinctive ki signatures that comprised the Saiyan prince and his son's power levels. _Poor Trunks. He's going to have a tough time with Badman over there,_ she thought sardonically as she glanced over her shoulder as Piccolo zoomed over to fall in flight pattern with her. Tien and Krillin were palpably tense, flying slightly ahead of them.

Before she could take comfort in having Piccolo close by, her mind flashed to Goku contorted in his agonized state.

_*She should've done more than that! She should've stopped this from happening and protected him! Why else is she even here if she's not going to help stop terrible things from happening?!*_

Sofia's mind replayed the devastated accusation she'd received when Chi-Chi had poured her anger and sense of betrayal out, shouting with tears in her eyes while Goku struggled from the ravages of pain caused by the heart virus.

'…Sofia,' Piccolo telepathically shook her out of her brooding recollections, earning her startled gaze as they continued to fly north in search of Dr. Gero's lab. 'What's wrong? You've been distracted on and off.'

'Sorry. Nothing's wrong,' she replied meekly. When he gave her a sharp glance that said he was unconvinced, she continued more firmly, 'I'm fine, really. Just stressin'. I need to stay sharp in case something else happens that goes off track. I'm just worrying…'

'Well, don't. Really don't need you to get as wound up as Trunks is,' he grumbled before adding in a softer tone, 'you're not alone in this. I'm by your side, and won't let anything happen.' Smiling softly at that, she winked at him, and earned a tense glance from him before he bashfully looked ahead to make sure Tien and Krillin hadn't seen the subtle exchange. 'You're incorrigible…' he huffed.

'Hey, I managed to control myself and NOT pounce on you after watching you strut your stuff against Gero, ok? That took a lot of willpower,' she mused with an angelic lilt to her comical tone as she wiggled her delicate brows at him. 'Watching you fight is one huge turn on for me,' she flirtatiously sighed.

Piccolo was about to snap back at her that she shouldn't have been pining in the middle of battle when he suddenly remembered the visceral allure he felt for her when he'd watched Sofia battle Android 19 with expert swiftness. _That was pretty great to watch…_

Shaking his head ruefully, he instead muttered, 'Let's just stay focused and in the moment. No use worrying and over-anticipating.'

As they approached the outskirts of mountainous terrain south of North City, Tien and Krillin slowed down and turned to each other as Sofia and Piccolo halted to float and survey the area.

"Well…this is North City, guys," Tien remarked, unbothered by the cold air while Krillin was shivering and hugging himself next to him. "There are hundreds of mountains around here, so there's no way we can guess the right one hiding Dr. Gero's lab."

"We'll have to split up to cover more terrain. Hopefully we've gotten here before he's reached the lab," Piccolo mused, ignoring Krillin's complaints about the cold.

"Well, can't you give us a hint on where to start looking, Sofia?" Krillin asked between chattering teeth.

"It's not like I'm a GPS system, dude," Sofia scowled, adding, "I don't know exact coordinates for where the lab is, but even if I did, I can't give an advantage to our search—"

"Auugh, I was hoping you wouldn't say that!" Krillin pouted, earning a huff from Tien.

"If she did that, Krillin, we could potentially end up causing a bigger problem down the line. Trunks came from the future and warned us, and even he's thrown off by how much his intervention has altered events," Tien mused soberly before taking the time to glance at Sofia in a reassuring way.

Krillin sighed. "I guess you're right…but it would just be nice to get a break in our favor, you know?"

"Whining about it isn't going to help matters," Piccolo snapped sternly.

Skittishly laughing that off, Krillin changed subjects, directing his friendly smile over to Sofia, who after years of training in the Arctic with Piccolo, Goku and Gohan, had become acclimated to the chill of the north. "Say – I've been wondering something. What was that technique you used with Goku earlier? Is it something you can do to help give an extra energy boost to us if we're in a jam?"

"Oh, you liked that, huh," Sofia grinned proudly, her pointed fangs gleaming as her smile broadened at Krillin's eager nod. "I call that Jump-Start mode. Basically, I use a special amount of ki I collect and calibrate based on a fighter's energy and pass it to them so it floods their chakras with a jump start that is equal to their own ki," Sofia explained, ignoring the chilly breeze that ruffled her long ponytail. "But I still need to develop a form of the ki calibrated to human chakras. I'm only able to use Jump-Start mode with Saiyans – well Goku, really, since I trained and developed the technique to help him out," she specified, earning a knowing look from Piccolo.

'So that's one of the techniques you've been working on…' her twin star mused telepathically.

"That explains why you were able to help give him the boost he needed for his Instant Transmission," Tien replied, his tone not conveying the impressed expression on his face. "But why only Goku? Could you use it with Gohan?"

"Well, Gohan isn't a Super Saiyan. Goku is, and the calibrated ki I can form is tuned to a Saiyan's chakras who has achieved that level of power…so I guess I could use it to give Trunks and Vegeta jump starts, but that's just in theory," Sofia rationalized, forefinger tapping her chin thoughtfully as she explained. "Maybe I can train with one of you guys to tune a calibrated flow of ki for human chakras," she offered beamingly at them, excited by the possibilities of developing the technique further.

"And maybe you could calibrate that energy boost for jump starting Piccolo too! Kami knows we can use all the advantages that we can get," Krillin chuckled congenially.

'See? He wants me to jumpstart you too, babe,' Sofia murmured sultrily at Piccolo.

"We can all fawn over her super secret technique later once we've finished things here!" Piccolo admonishingly groused, adding, "It's time to focus so we can find these Androids as fast as we can—"

His attempt to lead the departure into their split search was interrupted by Krillin. "Hey, wait!" he began to protest before Piccolo scowled and earned a snicker from Sofia.

"You're freezing, we know! Humans are so damned delicate," Piccolo muttered sharply.

"Uh, I was actually going to suggest divvying up Senzu Beans – just in case!" Krillin suggested as he reached for the pouch of magical healing beans. "I think there's—"

"You should have 6 left, Krillin. You guys can split them. Two for each of you," Sofia retorted knowingly, earning an astonished glance from the former monk.

"I'm never going to get used to that…but yeah – there's only 6 left. There's 4 of us though, so uh—you can have 1 of mine—" Krillin reasoned as he pulled out the beans.

"Nope – I'm good. You guys need them," Sofia insisted, smiling in that serene way of hers as she waved the offering away politely.

"If everything goes according to plan, we won't even need them," Piccolo mused, taking his 2 Senzu and about to pocket them in his sash for safe keeping when he saw Tien store one in his gi before offering the other to Sofia.

"You really should take one, Sofia. I'm fine with just keeping a Senzu for insurance, but we all should have one as a failsafe," the chivalrous triclops reasoned firmly and held the Senzu Bean out to her.

Sweatdropping, Sofia began to comically wave her hands in rejection. "No-no-no! I appreciate the consideration, fellas, but I'm good! Trust me. I know you haven't seen me in action much before today, but I got skills and abilities that don't really require wasting a Senzu Bean on—" she congenially prattled on before Piccolo huffed and interrupted.

"Enough! She said she doesn't want any, and we're wasting time, but if it'll make the two of you stop your fretting, she can have mine," Piccolo barked as he got his 2 Senzu and assertively placed them in her hand before folding her palm shut and grumbling, "Just take 'em."

Eyes narrowing now as her temper flared, the 3 fighters watched whilst a sort of ominous aura formed to pulsate around Sofia as she scowled before swiftly taking his other hand and slapping the Senzu Beans into his palm, gruffly growling, "Stop treating me like a weak girl, all of you! I don't need or want the goddamned Senzus, got it!?"

The two human fighters saw her eyes flare crimson with her ire and quickly snapped their lips shut into thin lines and nodded while Piccolo glared and fumingly put his Senzu Beans away, having become used to that maroon-burgundy pulsing aura and glowing glare flare from her tempestuous temper.

"Good. So if that's settled, let's split up already. I'll search from the ground, and you three patrol different directions from the air? Cool? Cool." And with that, she blasted off to descend rapidly to the tree-covered terrain below, leaving Krillin to huff his tension while Tien shrugged over at Piccolo.

"We didn't go over what we're supposed to do if we do find the lab or Dr. Gero. I figure we'll need some sort of sign to alert everyone?" Tien asked the Namekian warrior and former foe.

"Yeah, signal everyone by raising your energy as high as possible. We'll notice that. Just don't go into battle alone," Piccolo muttered, his usual baritone on edge, but neither Krillin nor Tien seemed to pick up the inflection.

"Right." The two other fighters took the marching orders and blasted off into different directions before Piccolo did the same, beginning the search even while his consternation was simmering at the back of his mind at the terse exchange he'd had with Sofia.

'Why the hell did she have to bite my head off like that?! She didn't snap at the other two at all when they offered her the damned Senzus…' Piccolo grumbled rhetorically.

'My guess would be that she expects more from you. Yes, the others were just as firm with offering what they thought was fair support, but they were doing it to be chivalrous and considerate. Maybe some sexism played a role in their considerations since she's the only female warrior here, but that's not something she would abide from you,' Nail chimed in thoughtfully, ever the excellent outsider's perspective to the situation between Piccolo and his twin star.

Still, that didn't mean Piccolo always welcomed his analysis. 'I was just trying to end the back and forth! I'm not sexist—'

'Not anymore, but you were, at first,' Nail interjected simply.

'I was not—!' he snapped, his temper now rising as he flew overhead and scanned the terrain below.

'Yes, you were. Back when you first met her. Every snarky jab out of you had to do with her being a 'weak girl,' or some iteration of that sentiment. Sure, you no longer think of her like that or have a sexist viewpoint, really, but I'm sure that made her feel like you were siding with them in thinking her needing of your combined concerns and protection,' Nail retorted, his gravelly tenor easygoing as Piccolo listened and scowled. 'She's come a long way from needing to be fretted over. If she gets into trouble, she'll deal with it. All she wants is to help and do her best, and she wants you to back her up, not coddle her.'

Clenching his jaw, Piccolo huffed through his nose. When the other warrior was spot-on-right about such matters, it was all he could do to not sulk. A lot had definitely changed since he and his twin star had entered the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, unaware of how they were tethered together in spirit and more. His feelings for her had evolved leaps and bounds during that isolated time, and now it wasn't often he found himself thinking back and being able to remember any acrimony or cynicism he'd once harbored against her. She was fierce, and fearless – a complete juggernaut of wonderful contradictions that melded perfectly, and now – as he flew over his search quadrant – he couldn't help think of how resolute she'd been to jump into the fray and protect them all.

'Something is bothering her,' Piccolo pondered. 'I don't know what, but she's been unfocused, and that's not like her—'

'Well, "DUH", Piccolo,' Nail sarcastically drawled, using a common refrain he'd picked up from Sofia when something was painfully obvious, yet the seasoned-but-sporadically dense warrior stumbled upon it with much effort. 'But now is not the time to ask her about it. She's stubborn and will not unburden herself of whatever is bothering her until all of this is over – or at least in a safe zone where she can divulge what's weighing her thoughts.'

Piccolo grunted at that, sharp gaze surveying the terrain below, unaware of him being spotted by the very target he was searching for, which watched him fly by from a convenient blind spot in the canyon.

There was definitely a lot that had transpired that he was eager to sort through at the most convenient moment possible, but checking in on her would be the first thing on the list, surely.

'Even more reason to annihilate this threat so we can get on with our lives then…'

* * *

Sofia flew along the tree line looking for anything that might spark familiarity with a trail or any clue that could lead to figuring out if she was on the right track of Dr. Gero. While she didn't plan to directly engage the cybernetic scientist, she wanted to ensure that nothing out of the norm occurred or jeopardized Krillin, who she knew would be the first to come across the Android.

_Tch—why can't they just listen to me the first time I tell 'em something!_ She begrudgingly seethed to herself as she landed in a clearing and continued her hunt on foot, using her super agility to traverse across great distances, phasing in and around large trees or hills to gain ground. _Piccolo's been real snide with me too—like I'm a stupid newb who's just getting in the way! So vintage-level pissy Piccolo…_

Huffing, she came to an abrupt halt before a shallow brook, holding her breath as to not startle the mother deer and her doe that were drinking from the cool water. Taking a moment to appraise the tranquil scene, Sofia smiled, closing her eyes to take a calming breath as she centered her thoughts.

The snapping of a branch caused her to whirl around and almost deck the bumbling hunter who'd stumbled out from behind a thicket.

"YIKES!" the beady-eyed man blurted before Sofia spun herself away and stopped her punch. "Holy schnikies! What in the world are yah doing out here, little lady?! I could've shot yah," he stammered, wiping his brow from the fright as he exhaled a sigh or relief.

Glancing behind herself at the now retreating deer, she realized he'd been pointing his rifle at them. Unable to hide her scowl, she purposely turned around to loom over the man before gripping his rifle and squeezing the barrel until it contorted like a rubber toy, causing his jaw to drop and eyes to bulge out. "You were seriously going to put Bambi and his mom down?! How 'bout you get out of here before I hunt _you_ , bub!" Sofia snarled, purposely letting her eyes flared red with a preternatural glow as she bared her pointed fangs at him and barked, "Get out of here!"

Bumbling and trembling, the hunter did as he was ordered and hightailed it out of there as fast as his chubby legs could take him, which was bounding over a boulder and over the other side for freedom.

Huffing her tension, Sofia shook her head and reached her senses outward to see where the other guys were. _Ah—there's Krillin. He's not far—!_

Her train of thought was extinguished when she turned to leave and came face to face with Dr. Gero as he stealthily lunged for her, energy node-fused palm reaching towards her mouth.

Her yelp of surprise was stifled by her attempt to leap away before a sudden blast detonated the ground between her and Gero. Getting thrown backwards, she managed to flip herself up until the air and careened upward to put distance between herself and the Android. _Shit! That was—_

"What a close one!" Krillin shouted over at her before phasing to float next to her. "Are you ok?!"

Glancing wide-eyed at him, Sofia nodded. "Thanks for the assist!" she proclaimed as she directed her fierce crimson gaze down at the Android who was gritting his jaw before phasing out of sight. "Dammit—I was distracted and let him slither up close," she snarled at herself as she dug her talon-like nails into her palms. "So stupid!"

"Hey, don't worry—he couldn't of gotten far," Krillin offered, blinking as he watched her shake with fury for the first time ever. "C'mon, we'll catch up to him—!" Before the former monk could finish, Sofia blasted off after the Android, irate and seething with rage that she'd let herself get distracted. "Wait up!" Krillin shouted and followed suit, rushing to catch up to the furious woman.

* * *

Piccolo heard the dim detonation from high up in the sky and stopped in flight to hover and track the source. _Dammit! Where'd it come from?!_

Propelling himself to zig back around, he blasted his energy contrail to jet him across the sky at a break-neck speed into the direction he thought the blast could've echoed from.

Meanwhile, Sofia landed in a scrappy patch of woods littered with dried kindling and broken limbs from long-fallen over trees. Creating an energy tripwire around herself by leaking out levels of ki to filter outward, she honed her senses and lowered her guard, knowing that Gero would love to take advantage and ambush her just like before. _He's coming after me because I'm an unknown factor. As long as I keep him on the defensive, not much else should go off the rails…_

As her ki invisibly trickled across a tight radius around her, she walked onto the makeshift bridge the robust fallen tree trunks created towards higher ground, mindful of all the energy triggers needed to trip her senses to any slight movement around her other than her own.

Suddenly, her senses tugged sharply to the left and she spun around to bash her fist against the two forearms that hastily came up and blocked her blow. "Holy hell! It's just me!" Krillin wailed comically as he skidded across the wood and almost toppled over the side before he righted his balance and balked over at her.

"Oh shit, I'm sorry, Krillin!" Sofia sweatdropped and flailed in embarrassment. "I'm totally blowing it!"

"Huh? C'mon now – don't be so hard on yourself. Tensions are just high," the amiable shorter man offered congenially as he idly rubbed his aching forearm. "Besides, I probably should've said "Look out below" or something before coming in hot."

"Pffft, maybe. Definitely try that next time," she chuckled and offered him a cool smile, disarming her ki trip wire as she slapped her arms down against her sides in a sigh. "Sorry for spazzing out."

"Don't sweat it," he waved her apology off and grinned as he hopped over to the top of the wooden pile. "I'm not the best tracker, but I have a feeling he hasn't gone fa—"

Before Krillin could complete his remark, the piled trunks they were on began to glow from beneath before a blistering blast powered up and blew them and everything around them into the air.

In the chaos, Sofia saw the silhouette of Dr. Gero spring from under where the trunks were to phase in the air and attack Krillin with a forceful blow that doubled the former monk over before he kicked him down to the ground and plowed his knee into his solar plexus.

Using her telekinetic ability, she flung all the debris and chunks of gnarled wood away before tethering Krillin with her psionic energy to pull him up and away from Gero before he could slap his palm down over his mouth. Catching him with bruising force and dropping to the ground in a heap, she braced herself against the side of the cliff at their backs before putting herself in front of the stunned fighter.

"You meddlesome girl…" Gero sneered at her as he assessed his options. _Piccolo is closing in, and I cannot discount her power level being formidable…if I could syphon even a portion of it, it'll be enough to get me to my lab and engage any other interventions,_ the steely-eyed Android deduced. _I must catch her off guard…_

"Instead of giving me the stink eye, isn't it about time you make it to your lab? Or did the beating you take earlier scramble your GPS?" Sofia taunted, hoping to egg him on and buy some time for Krillin to get his bearings. _He has to be the one to raise his energy to warn the others so they can hone in on Gero and his lab._

"Grrr, I've had just about _enough_ of your insolent boasting, girl!" he snapped with acrimony and phased out, but not to appear with a striking blow at her.

She sensed his movement behind her, instead aiming at striking a decisive blow against Krillin. In the blink of an eye, she panicked and spun between them to effectively push Krillin out of harms way and absorb the blow. Instead of the crane-styled jab she'd seen him pull back with his remaining limb aimed at Krillin's chest, Gero instead pivoted and twisted his palm open to clamp over her mouth as he used the momentum of his speed to push her against the rock at her back.

_Shit—!_ Sofia's body recoiled and stiffened as he began to syphon her energy greedily, causing her to grip his rounded shoulders and dig her nails in desperately. Gritting his teeth in a snide sneer, Gero dug her into the hard rock and used his damaged forearm to pry her right hand away from his shoulder and jabbed the splintered metal of the limb into her shoulder. Pressing brusquely, he ground the stump at a bruising angle until she felt a pop and screamed internally in pain. Tossing her head back and managing to momentarily wrench her face away from his palm, she gasped for breath before he growled and pulled her head back by gripping the back of her hair by her ponytail.

"Yes! I told you I would drain every ounce of energy out of you and—" Gero began to chuckle darkly until he saw her eyes narrow and the crimson spheres begin to pulse and obscured her entire gaze in a flash of red rage. She suddenly contorted her body to spin and kick out her heel to jam it squarely up into the cybernetic doctor's throat to propel him backwards. Sofia yelled out – hair tussling about freed from its fastening, and fell hard on her side – right onto her dislocated shoulder.

"Aaaaaaah!" she cried out from the jarring pain as she rolled away and onto her knees.

Finally coming around from the blow he'd taken from being propelled away by Sofia, a battered Krillin caught sight of her as she struggled to get up while her left hand gripped her right shoulder protectively. "Oh no—!"

"Stay _back_ , Krillin!" she shouted at him, her eyes now only glowing with wrath as she bared her fangs at Gero, who was staring at her, completely astounded.

_This is too perilous! I took plenty of energy from her that she should be incapacitated…I can't continue this defensive stand. I must retreat!_

With anger in his cold blue eyes, Dr. Gero phased out and began his last-ditch escape to make it to his lab. Stunned by the retreat, Krillin ran over to Sofia as she fell onto one knee and gritted her teeth against the pain. "C'mon! We gotta get you help—"

"No! You have to follow him and signal the others," she snapped and glared through her tussled hair at him, her resolute expression sending a chill down the former monk's spine. "I can't do it – none of you can sense my power level. It has to be you. You gotta go, now!"

Staring into his eyes, she nodded and watched as he backpedaled before jumping into the air to give chase. Panting, she tossed her head back to get her hair out of her face so she could assess her arm. _Fucking hell…I gotta pop it back in._ Setting her jaw, she stood and went to lean her side against the rock of the cliff wall, positioning herself against a particular groove in the surface in order to prop her shoulder against it. With a quick inhale of breath, she braced herself and firmly shoved her shoulder back into the socket. "Aaaaah!" she cried out and continued to pant as she tried to center herself. Wiggling her fingers, she sighed in relief that she didn't feel a pinch or jarring nerve damage in the extremity before she rolled her shoulder and winced at the dull ache caused by the maneuver.

Suddenly, she felt Krillin's energy begin to skyrocket as he raised his power level with swift urgency to signal everyone else to his current location.

Her blood was boiling. Because of her foolhardy tactics, she almost wasn't able to successfully keep Dr. Gero from doing real damage that would've tossed the sequence of events off the track. Blasting off into the sky at full speed, Sofia quickly honed in on Krillin and could feel Tien, Piccolo, Vegeta and Trunks converging on the site. Just as she cut her approach to a sharp stop to hover next to Krillin, his energy aura was dissipating and the reinforced metal doors to Dr. Gero's secret lab were thudding shut after him. _Oh god, ok we're back on track at least…_ she sighed, clenching and unclenching her right hand to get normal feeling back in the limb.

Blasting down from the sky to hover just adjacent to Krillin, Tien appeared before Piccolo zoomed down and hovered off to the right of them. "See that cave going into the rock? Gero's lab has to be in there!" Krillin exclaimed to the others.

"Good job, Krillin," Tien offered and paused as his third eye caught a glance at Sofia.

Following the triclop's gaze, Piccolo stared at Sofia and felt a sharp sense of bewilderment wash over him at how tousled she looked. 'Sofia—!'

"I'm fine. I look worse than it is," she offered bitingly to answer their stares. "Krillin and I weren't able to beat Gero to the lab. He's in there already."

"What?! Dammit – what if we're already too late!" Piccolo barked and spun to face the cave in question. "What the hell happened out there?! None of you were supposed to engage him!"

"Whoa now! We didn't really have a choice, Piccolo," Krillin interjected hastily.

"I gave specific instructions before we split up, and now here we are too late to stop him from activating those other Androids—!"

"They're already awake!"

Snapping their attentions to her, Sofia ran her nails through her disheveled hair to tame it back to its normal style as she huffed and glared around at their startled glances, the sunlight catching in the small hoop earrings that dangled from her earlobes.

"Then…we've failed," Tien caustically murmured.

"No we haven't! We aren't going to roll over and let these bastards leave that cave alive," Piccolo growled contumely and phased over to the cave, rallying Krillin and Tien to follow so they could try and break down the metal doors that were tightly sealed shut.

Sighing and tossing her head back in exasperation, Sofia floated lower to the lip of the cave and landed soundlessly behind them and simply watched each take turns trying to pummel the doors down while she crossed her arms and winced from the ache of her body as it flexed against it's depleted energy reserve. _I'm going to take a few to heal...HOPEFULLY nothing else insane is going to happen out of the ordinary._

"Step aside! I'll make short work of it," Piccolo announced and took a stance to do just so – hand raised palm facing the doors, when a certain smug chuckle came from the front of the cave entrance.

"Oh good – you'll be saving me the trouble. Now go ahead and make yourself useful, Namek. Just make sure to leave them alone, if you know what's good for you—" Vegeta cockily drawled as he and Trunks entered the cave.

Trunks stared bewilderingly at his father and interrupted, "NO! Just destroy it! If we let him activate those Androids, we're done for! I beg you—you can stop them in their tracks before they have a chance of getting loose, that's the best course of action—"

"SHUT UP, BOY!" Vegeta snapped at Trunks, before glaring over at Sofia as if noticing her for the first time. "Stealth, do me a favor and tell this brat there's no level of sniveling out of him that'll make me change my mind, would you?" he condescended while Piccolo began to charge energy in his right palm for a resounding blast before they were all hushed into silence by the irate shouting from Dr. Gero on the other side of the metal doors.

"—as your creator, I am ORDERING YOU, Seventeen!"

"Oh crap! Did you hear that?! That means the Androids are already awake for sure!" Krillin stammered, hedging backwards in anxious fear.

"Goddamn idiots—out of my way!" Vegeta snapped as he extended his palm and took his stance to blast the doors down.

"Don't do it—! We gotta get out of here and regroup – at least until Goku's back up—" Trunks argued before Vegeta ignored him and blasted the doors down with a raucous crash that kicked up debris and dust to filter all around the narrow space.

Sofia had shielded her eyes from the bright flash caused by his energy detonating the doors into twisted heaps. Looking over her forearm, she watched as the fabled Android 17 and Android 18 were revealed to the Z Fighters from this time for the first time. Their befuddlement at the non-assuming appearances of the deadly villains shocked them all, except for Sofia and Trunks.

Clenching his fists in impotent rage, Trunks glared over at the Androids that were supposed to be the eventual harbingers of death and destruction for his future. She watched his expression as Vegeta began to offhandedly comment about how unimpressed he was, snapping musingly, "Are these smirking punks the Androids you traveled back in time to warn us about, Trunks?"

"Yes," the lavender-haired fighter hissed tersely. "And just because they look harmless doesn't mean you should underestimate them! They're the worst threats the Earth has ever faced…!"

"These are the meddling comrades of Goku I was telling you about! It's time for you both to do as your told and eliminate them. They destroyed Android 19 and almost got me as well—!" Gero began to snap.

"So there was a Nineteen? You built that one after us, huh? Let me guess: he was an energy absorption model, correct?" Android 17 mused coolly.

"Yes, he was—"

"And you had him convert you into an Android, I'm guessing," Android 17 offered rhetorically.

"Using old tech on a newer model as well. I guess you found him easier to control than perpetual energy models like us," Android 18 chimed in smoothly.

"The what and why is irrelevant! I order you to destroy them before they try anything else—"

"We'll take care of them when we damn well please, old man," Android 17 drawled dismissively.

_Ok…we're still on track. Thank god,_ Sofia sighed in relief to herself and watched everyone react to the off-putting exchange going on between creations and creator. When Android 18 waltzed over to the stasis chamber that housed an offline Android 16, she felt the palpable shock snap over Trunks as he balked at the revelation of yet another Android he was unaware of.

"Damn, guys—wouldn't it be a good time to make a move while the three of them are distracted?!" Krillin tensely inquired while Android 18 pushed Dr. Gero away and walked over to open the display button to activate Android 16's stasis chamber.

"I'm growing bored of all this chatter, so as much as I hate to admit it, baldy has the right idea," Vegeta sneered acerbically and began to lift his palm face out. "Whoever survives this blast should be enough of a challenge—"

Sofia flinched in her spot _. What the hell?!_

Suddenly, she phased over and grabbed Vegeta by his glove-covered wrist and squeezed as she snarled sardonically, "How 'bout no?!"

Startled by Sofia's intervention, everyone recoiled and shifted as Vegeta snapped his irate glowering glare at her. "Do you have a death wish, stealth—?!" he halted continuing his blistering tirade when he stared into her unflinching, burning red eyes and saw her scowl deepen.

"Sofia, what're you doing?!" Trunks gasped and rushed forward before she snapped her angry glare at him too.

"What the hell is going on…?" Krillin yammered meekly while Tien and Piccolo balked at the turn of events.

"All of you _shut it_ and just listen!" she hissed before redirecting her now glowing eyes at Vegeta. "You will watch the show and _not_ interfere – not if you want to get your shot at the opportunity of showing your _true_ level of power, Prince Vegeta. Blowing shit up right now is not going to get you the result you seek," she murmured in an eerily calm lilt to her cool tone.

"…take your hand away. Now," Vegeta darkly commanded, meeting her burning stare with his pitiless gaze.

Before Sofia could snap back at him, Android 17 had plunged his palm into the side of Dr. Gero's torso, shocking everyone at the macabre, ironic spectacle.

"Aaack—you insolent brat! I'm your creator—I gave you life and I can take it away. Obey me—!" Gero's dying proclamation was cut short by Android 17 swiftly kicking him with such force that it decapitated his head easily, causing it to bounce and clatter across the lab to land almost at Krillin's feet. "In-in-grate! Look at what you've done—!" Seventeen silenced Gero's severed head's stuttered utterance, leaping over to crush his master's skull under foot. His creator finally dispelled, the dark haired teenaged Android smirked before he glanced up and gave an appraising-yet-mocking glance to everyone.

Suddenly, he raised his hand and made a 'come hither' gesture towards Krillin, waving his index finger in petition for him to come closer. When Krillin balked and did so, Seventeen swiftly turned on his heel and derisively drawled, "You're all quite noisy, and nosy. How about you wait your turn and let my sister and I have some fun. We'll take care of you and your friend Goku soon enough." Piccolo grunted at that and watched with narrowed eyes as the cybernetic teen dismissively walked back to where said sister was admiring the spectacle next to Android 16's unopened stasis chamber.

Wrenching his hand away from Sofia's grip, he sneered before glancing back at the two Androids, "Well, well – whoever gets in their way, they destroy. I can respect that."

Releasing a goofy sigh of relief, Sofia grinned comically at receiving an irritated glance from the Saiyan before using her preternatural speed to sidle over to Piccolo. "See? If you'd taken this place to boom town, you'd have missed that and totally fucked up the sequence a little, buddy~!" Sofia offered glibly to Vegeta while everyone else sweatdropped and Krillin flinched fearfully before rushing over to her.

"Alright, so then we're still good, right? Nothing bad's gonna happen and we're actually going to beat these two now?" the short fighter stammered eagerly and pleadingly up at the red-eyed woman.

Sobering, Sofia blew a raspberry at that and sing-sung, "I've said _way_ too much already~! I can't answer that, dude—"

"Let's get on with it, Eighteen. Go ahead and wake Sixteen up—"

"This is insane! We have an opportunity to stop them here and now," Trunks barked suddenly, startling everyone as he took his battle stance and began to charge up his energy to become a Super Saiyan at a blistering rate before cupping his hands together and bellowing, "You're not activating another Android—not so long as I'm alive to stop you!"

"Oh crap," Sofia chortled before turning to look at the Androids and back pedaling out towards the entrance of the cave just as everyone else realized that Trunks was about to level the place.

"Hit the deck!" Krillin shouted as everyone cleared the path of the explosion that Trunks unleashed into the secret lab, causing the top of the mountain that house the cave to detonate raucously and crumble outward, sending a plume of smoke and debris into the sky around them.

Hovering in the sky with the others, Sofia looked around to make sure everyone made it out just fine.

"Next time you wanna blow everything up, how about a warning, alright?!" Krillin complained at Trunks as they hovered in the air and surveyed the destruction the lavender-haired demi-Saiyan had caused.

"You stupid fool—why'd you even bother throwing that tantrum!" Vegeta sneered, brows furrowed and disdain etched in his scowl.

"It's more than you did!" Trunks barked at his father, fists clenched in impatience.

"Oh really? Observe." Gritting his jaw, Trunks turned and watched as the plume of smoke cleared to reveal an unfazed Android duo standing at the top of a flattened plateau, with Eighteen holding the stasis chamber that housed Android 16. "Your attack did nothing. You might as well have tickled them, boy…you really are worthless," Vegeta jabbed scathingly.

Sofia internally winced. _Harsh as fuck. Jeez…_

'I take it we're still on script?' Piccolo telepathically inquired, glancing sidelong at Sofia from his vantage point hovering eastward in the sky from her.

'Yes. For better or worse…' she murmured back, glancing at the Androids and picking up their conversation. When Eighteen tossed the stasis chamber down and engaged it to open, Sofia looked around at the others to make sure they wouldn't make any rash offensive moves to try and engage the foes.

Grunting at her response, Piccolo watched as the chamber's hatch was unceremoniously kicked off to expedite the activation of the hulking Android that resided inside.

As Android 16 opened his eyes and climbed out of the chamber, Seventeen and Eighteen attempted casual banter with him, and found that he was stoic and only cared for one topic. "Correct. I wish to fight the one named Goku."

"Yeah – as much as I hate doing anything that old man programmed us to do, I'd rather go take Goku out than just stand around here all day," Android 17 mused, receiving a curt nod from Android 18 in agreement.

All three Androids began to levitate upwards before making due course south, away from North City.

_Strange._ Piccolo mused.

"Whoa – they're leaving! Lucky us," Krillin chortled, while Tien blinked at the sight in confusion.

"But where the hell could they be going? They're not even going to engage us? What could they be planning to do," the triclops balked.

"They're heading away from North City, so that's not their target…I don't understand," Piccolo muttered, glancing opening now at Sofia for any telltale clue her expression could give him.

"Wait! They're going after Goku!" Krillin suddenly exclaimed, getting everyone's attention. "Yeah…Goku took down the Red Ribbon Army back in the day, and Dr. Gero's wanted revenge on him ever since. That's gotta be where they're headed!"

Blinking at the reasoning, Trunks glanced over at Sofia. "Is Krillin right?!"

"But why would they kill Gero one minute, then turn around and carry out his orders the next?" Tien was perplexed, but quickly realized he'd cut off Sofia from being able to answer Trunks. "Does Krillin have the right angle? Are they going to Goku's place?"

Before Sofia could open her mouth to respond, Vegeta snapped, "Who CARES what they want to accomplish! They're not going to live long enough. They deliberately ignored me…didn't even acknowledged me. That was a mistake."

"Sigh…"Sofia rolled her eyes at Vegeta's egomania and simply nodded over at Tien and Krillin.

When Vegeta powered up and went to blast off in pursuit of the Androids, Trunks interceded in his path and tried to reason with his father. "Listen to me! Don't follow them – just wait a little longer—"

"So Kakarot can drag himself out of bed? Spare me!" Vegeta snickered.

"Kakarot? You mean Goku? Just listen: unless all three of us go Super Saiyan, there's no way we can hope to defeat them!" Trunks pleaded.

Vegeta chuckled, a gravelly tone that added to his drawled retort, "You really don't get it, do you? I'll crush the Androids well enough, but the one I truly want to annihilate, is Kakarot. I'll dispatch these machines before he can sully my victory, and then I'll be the end of that third-class clown as well – once he's back on his feet," he paused before letting the commanding snarl take over his hard tone as he barked, "Now get _out_ of my way!"

"What is WRONG with you?! You insist on rushing off to fight a battle that could end in your death? Please, I'm begging you to wait—Gaauh!" Vegeta plowed a punch into his stomach, curbing Trunks' impassioned petition. Once the fighter was doubled over, the Prince of all Saiyans got on with his objective – blasting away in search of the 3 Androids.

"Trunks!" Krillin and the others rushed to his side. Sofia phased over and placed her hand on his shoulder as Krillin asked, "Are you ok? That was one hell of a sucker punch—!"

"Please, go after him! He can't fight the Androids on his own. We have to wait until Goku's recovered from his heart condition. That's the only chance we have!" Trunks interrupted as he clenched his bruised mid-section, worried and desperate for the others to understand the danger his father was flying towards. Staring at Sofia, he remarked, "Tell them! You know just how outmatched he'll be, dontcha?!"

Hesitating, Sofia glanced at the others tensely. "…Yes. As it stands right now, Vegeta's not going to cut it. They're stronger than anything he's come up against," she paused to inhale a sobering breath before adding, "But please…yah gotta stop putting me on the spot, Trunks," she exhaled, her stress now wearing on her features as she huffed the last part.

"But, you gotta help us! You know even more than me, and you can tell us exactly what to do to put a stop to this and give us the advantage—!"

"Trunks," Piccolo interjected before Sofia could, his no nonsense tone holding an edge as he added, "What's to stop things from becoming even worse from Sofia telling us the course of events with direct intent at changing them?! You came back and warned Goku, and look how differently things have transpired from what they were supposed to. She _cannot_ tell us any more, or else we could anticipate things right into an even dire outcome."

Sofia's expression softened at seeing the disappointment wilt Trunks even more than the blow to the gut had. Eyes crinkling, she squeezed his shoulder, smiling reassuringly as she could when he glanced openly into her expression. "We're not going to let anything happen to your father, no matter how much of a dick he's being right now," she genuinely mused, earning a grunt of amusement from Tien and a suppressed snickered laugh from Krillin. "I'll try my very best to keep things in check, and all we can ask of each other is to stay strong for everyone we care about. Okay?" she offered as confidently as she could muster.

"Oh man! I just realized," Krillin cut in, adding, "Gohan and Bulma are still out there—they were on their way to Goku's! If we don't go now and head the Androids off, they could be in trouble too."

"We gotta go and stop them!" Trunks bucked up, inspired to get his head back in the fight.

"Let's stop wasting time then! After them—c'mon!" Piccolo chimed in, leading the way as he blasted off in direct route for Vegeta's ki signature, followed closely by Tien, Krillin and Trunks, leaving Sofia to blink at the hasty departures before shrugging to herself and following suit.

* * *

Zooming at her preternatural speed, Sofia was able to gain on the others and fell into flying formation next to Piccolo. Staring around at the residual damage the terrain below had suffered from Vegeta's careless Super Saiyan energy as he'd grazed through rock formations like nothing, she didn't realize her twin star was watching her keenly from the corner of his eye.

'Don't prod her now, Piccolo,' Nail suddenly warned mildly, adding, 'Just like you've been harping on her to be focused, you should be as well.'

Grunting in displeasure, Piccolo grumbled, 'I'm not going to do anything, you nag.'

'You were thinking about it,' Nail chimed, unconvinced.

'I was curious to know what the hell happened back there and why she and Krillin blew it…' was what he muttered instead, before quickly changing the subject. 'If anything, the only thing I was _going_ to ask her was if she should hang back and simply observe once we do cross path with these Androids.'

'Shouldn't you be leaving such matters up to her?' Nail unabashedly declared.

When Piccolo really didn't have a retort to that, he instead huffed, 'Just do me a favor and shut your trap for a while, Nail…'

Scoffing over at him, Nail decided to remain silent, knowing it was futile to argue with Piccolo during a time like this.

Meanwhile, Sofia was concentrating on the ki signature ahead, sensing Vegeta's power level rising and spiking at certain points as he fought an invisible force she couldn't track. _So far, not much has happened differently than what's supposed to go down, but how much more can events try and skitter off course?_ She thought to herself, the concern and anxiety feeling like a knot in her stomach that only got tighter the more she tried to stop worrying. _Ugh! Ok – just stop spazzing out, dammit. We just need to make it through this upcoming skirmish, then I can go check on Goku—_

Trunks had been watching Sofia as she began to fly just ahead of him. Her stoic expression would've been flawless had her gaze not looked turbulent. _I shouldn't have pushed her like that before…I know better than that._ Deciding to jet over as to fly up beside her, the lavender-haired fighter ended up having to clear his throat in order to get her attention. "Hey, uh…I wanted to apologize for how I acted before," he began meekly before continuing more resolutely, "It was unfair of me to put you in that position. I'm sorry, Sofia."

Blinking at him, she was disarmed by his hard tone. Taking in his scowl, she realized he'd been beating himself up about it. Her brow smoothened out as she sighed her exhale and shook her head ruefully at him. "Don't be, man!" she sardonically groused and platonically punched him on the shoulder, causing him to blush slightly as she grinned at him and chirped, "This is all hella stressful, and I know how worried you are. Trust me – there's no harm in asking. Just in expecting me to spill what I know. If I could tell you everything and know it wouldn't fuck up things, I'd do it in a heartbeat."

"I know," Trunks retorted, his expression going back to sulking as he turned his criticisms inward. _Things wouldn't be so off kilter if I'd been more careful when I came to warn Goku._

"Hey," Sofia's sharp tone caught his attention. "Stop that!"

"…Stop what?" Trunks looked at her, confused.

Tossing her hair out of her face as she glanced at him bossily, she sniped, "Stop giving yourself shit about what you did and didn't do!" When Trunks merely stared at her with wonder, she flew up closer to his side as she offered reassuringly, "Look, there's nothing you can do to fix things up to this point, but beating yourself up for it is only going to leave you distracted or second guessing yourself, and that's no help either. I'm…guilty of it too, but hey – if we work together, we can make sure stuff doesn't get worse."

While the two chatted, Piccolo watched and eavesdropped on them, unable to not notice how Trunks hung on her words and admired her with his blue-eyed gaze every so often.

Before he knew what he was doing, he zoomed up to fall in formation on her opposite side as he gruffly muttered, "We're getting close. You should hang back."

Furrowing her brows at him, Sofia began to argue, "But things could go sideways quick and I should be close—"

"No. You shouldn't be expecting to get involved in any battle against the Androids. You're only to intervene if and when there's no other option," he cut in brusquely, eyeing her before blasting off ahead of the group and effectively signaling the discussion was closed.

"Tch—!" Sofia huffed and scowled; mad that he would decide something so important for her for seemingly arbitrary reasons.

"He might have the right idea," Trunks offered, earning a sidelong glance from her. "Of all of us, you should stay out of the fray—"

"What is it with all you guys thinking you can tell me what to do?!" Sofia's temper spiked as she scoffed and glared at him. "I know what I'm doing, and I'm not going to stand on the sidelines and watch things go to hell!" she snapped at him, leaving Trunks to stare at her nonplussed as her eyes flared crimson with a preternatural glow before ending up watching her blast off at full speed ahead of him as well.

Watching from the sidelines as they flew along, Krillin and Tien gave each other tense glances before the former monk groused, "Her tongue lashing isn't as bad as her fists, bro, so count yourself lucky."

* * *

By the time they arrived on the winding highway road Vegeta had caught up to the Androids and engaged in battle with Android 18 on, a chunk of the road was gone in a heap of rock-slid debris that had crashed into the ravine below and there were craters in the retaining walls of the road. Sofia recognized it to mean his skirmish with Eighteen had gone accordingly so far, and while she was reluctant to hang back, she did so, watching as the others landed on the road to join Vegeta and stand between Android 18 and Android 17. Steeling herself, she descended slowly from the air to instead stand over by the intact end of the highway road just behind Android 16, who'd just declined joining in any fight against the new arrivals.

When she landed, she merely crossed her arms and stood in a casual stance as she listened at the exchange happening a few yards away, earning an intrigued glanced from Android 17 as he surveyed her over his shoulder.

_Hmm, I don't have any data in my files for her. Interesting,_ the dark-haired Android mused to himself before glancing over at Android 16.

"It looks like you'll have company to stand on the sidelines with, Sixteen. Try not to be your chatty self with her," the teen mused sardonically as he loped away towards the rest of the fighters, leaving the imposing red-Mohawk-sporting Android to ignore the action.

When he turned away to contemplate the birds that chirped in the surrounding area, Android 16 seemed to pay no notice to her, so she strolled over to stand on his right side so she could watch the others and listen in. _I can still intervene from here if something goes awry…I just hope I'm done jumping in to stop anything off-script for today._ Glancing at Android 16, she was at least glad to not have to worry about him deviating from his prime objective.

"…I'll make you a deal. I'm willing to stand aside and let you two fight. But, if any of your friends try to give you an assist, I'll be forced to step in. However, I'm guessing you'll all be following the warrior's code anyway," she overheard Android 17 remark to the others, signaling she needed to focus on the next sequence, very keenly.

"You are not in our data files. Are you an ally of Goku?"

Blinking at the question, Sofia turned to stare wide-eyed at Android 16. He wasn't looking at her – instead trying to coach a small bird that had fluttered down from the opposite edge of the ravine to land on his extended wrist for perch.

Not knowing what to make of the uncharacteristic engagement of conversation from the usually reticent character, she instead dropped her arms and shrugged. "Why care? I'm not your target regardless," she replied simply and watched as the chirping bird hopped along his arm merrily, earning a small smile from the physically striking Android. "The profiles Dr. Gero assembled were woefully incomplete and full of omissions – it ended up causing him great distress. Does it bother you?" she found herself inquiring, wanting to gauge him and his intent.

"No." The firm, monotone answer was followed by his acknowledging glance once the bird flew away. When he finally surveyed her closely, he allowed his scanners to engage in a diagnostics before taking a very appraising look at her appearance, her similarity in features with Seventeen and Eighteen, yet her enigmatic differences to his Android brethren. Then he catalogued her hoop-adorned earlobes, knowing it was a trademark Dr. Gero had passed down to all his creations for differentiation – in addition to the Red Ribbon Army insignia they each sported in some unique fashion. However, said insignia was nowhere to be found on her person. Blue eyes ceasing their cybernetic glow, the docile Android hummed in a monotone to himself. "You are quite anomalous," he declared, before returning to his surveying of the canyon across from them.

Snickering despite herself, she gave a one-shouldered shrug as she remarked, "I've heard that a lot today." When he glanced at her stoically, she added, "It's nice to meet you, Sixteen," before turning on her heel and walking over to be closer to the action.

Turning back to his sentinel-like vigil of the natural surroundings, Android 16 allowed the exchange to go into his memory bank for later analysis.

* * *

"So? Are we in agreement, fellas?" Android 17 inquired in his smug tone, glancing at the fighters across from him. "If any of you interfere, I'll be forced to step in—"

"These damned meddling fools are content to stand aside this time, if they know what's good for them," Vegeta interrupted gruffly, his Super Saiyan aura crackling the air around him.

"I guess I shouldn't expect anything different from the Prince of the Saiyans…" Android 17 drawled in his steely tone, glancing unbothered at the anomalous woman who strolled over to watch the action just behind him.

'Sofia—!' Piccolo began to warn telepathically when she effectively hushed him with a sharp glare.

"Dammit, Vegeta! What good is pride if it's just gonna get you killed?! Just listen to me and wait until Goku's better—!"

"Oh for fuck's sake…" Vegeta hissed under his breath before snapping disdainfully, "Do you want me to beat it into your thick skull, boy?! I'm not going anywhere! I am the most powerful Saiyan that's ever lived and I will send this tin can to the scrapheap without you or Kakarot's damned help!"

Trunks's frustration was palpable as he gritted his jaw and clenched his fists, about to bark at his stubborn father once more when an unlikely shout deterred his impulsive thoughts.

"Just let them fight already."

Everyone snapped their balking stares over at Sofia, who was standing with her arms crossed as she stood near the edge of the road. Even Android 17 betrayed an intrigued glance at the odd red-eyed woman, and for the first time noticed the hoop earrings in her earlobes when the breeze blew her long dark hair to flutter the strands behind her shoulders. _Hmm, that's strange…_

Smirking, Vegeta glared back over at Android 18 as she tucked stray strands of blonde hair behind her ear before musingly inquiring, "Well then. Shall we continue?"

"What do you think," Vegeta acerbically remarked back.

"As you wish, little man." In a flash of movement, Android 18 smashed her fist against Vegeta, sending him bruisingly to the air before he ricocheted off the top of the rocky hill and blasted towards her to unleash his own brutal combo of blows that careened Android 18 into the opposite hillside from the lonesome highway road.

The others could only watch as the mercurial Super Saiyan stretched his palm out and blasted her with molten energy that did nothing but tatter her attire. When the dust cleared, Vegeta zoomed down to square up against her on the crumbled rocky terrain. From her vantage point, Sofia surveyed the fight closely, listening in and finding that there was no divergence in the skirmish. _Thank god!_

"Ugh…you owe me a new outfit," Android 18 sneered in her cold tone, dusting herself off with a scowl after tossing her battered and torn jean jacket to the ground.

"I think I did you a favor," Vegeta boasted. "Your unfazed, smug attitude is starting to piss me off," he added before going at her with another dizzying combo that she blocked effortlessly.

"So much talk. You might've held your own so far, but I wonder if Goku is stronger," Android 18 mused after blocking his blow with such force that it caused him to skid back.

"Of course not! He might've slipped ahead of me temporarily, but I'm the true Super Saiyan and back on top where I belong—"

"How lame. I thought you would be a challenge, but I guess I was wrong. If you're supposedly stronger than Goku, then there's nothing to look forward to, and I'm getting bored," Android 18 cut in, her cool, aloof drawl compounded by her dismissive glance.

Shaking with fury, Vegeta's aura darkened as he growled, " _What did you say_!?" before launching in a rage at her, putting all his speed and might into his blows as they battled in a brutal sequence where neither of their hits where connecting.

As the others began to cheer Vegeta on, Piccolo watched astutely as the Saiyan put everything he had into the confrontation. Before long, he realized his earlier observation was undeniable now. "It's as I thought…he's losing." When everyone turned to stare at him in shock, he continued only after they demanded he explain what he meant. "It's happening gradually. The Android is wearing him down," Piccolo paused, watching as Vegeta's combos got sloppy, allowing her to swing into his blind spot and clobber him senseless. "She's got an infinite power supply, and Vegeta's losing stamina with every single move he makes. It's unsustainable…" Piccolo trailed off when he glanced over at Sofia and saw that she was attentively watching the battle.

Sofia watched as Android 18 grappled effortlessly with Vegeta before she snapped his arms to the side and kneed him in his stomach. The blow doubled him over before she snapped his head back with an uppercut to the chin. _Jesus, this is brutal…_ she scowled, clenching her crossed arms tightly as she watched the cybernetic woman crack Vegeta in the face with so much force that it propelled him with bone-crushing force into a rock that crumbled into a single slab that was keeping him upright as he shouted in pain. When she heard Eighteen muse glibly, "If it's any consolation, this took way longer than I thought," Sofia was surprised to not see the fear and desperation that should've crossed Vegeta's features in that moment. Instead, she saw something snap in him as he gritted his teeth and burst his aura outward to stand upright as he bellowed in contempt of his predicament.

"I've HAD ENOUGH with your smug insolence! I AM THE PRINCE OF ALL SAIYANS!" he roared before blasting off towards the Android with the intent of plowing his kick through her, and instead was met with her leather booted kick that snapped him into a stupor to stagger away before she leapt in the air and roundhouse kicked him with so much force that it crushed the side of his arm with a sickening crack that was heard by everyone up on the ridge.

The other Z Warriors watched in horror as the mighty prince staggered away in excruciating pain before dropping to his knees and bellowing in agony. Sofia felt a chill go down her spine as she watched and felt the jolt of shock and awe amongst the others before Trunks's palpable distress skyrocketed with his transformation into a Super Saiyan.

"FATHER!" the lavender-haired fighter shouted as he blasted off to intervene.

"NO, STOP!" Piccolo shouted, to no avail as the fighter from the future unsheathed his sword and careened to engage Android 18 just as Android 17 smugly smirked and flew into the fray, as he'd promised.

When Trunks swung his sword down on Android 18, she deflected the blow with a simple block of her hand, causing the blade to splinter and shatter at her indestructible strength and leaving Trunks to balk in horror at the feat before Android 17 zoomed down behind him and plowed his laced fists into his back. The strike pummeled Trunks with bruising force into the ground to bounce raggedly against the rock as his sword spun uselessly out of his grasp.

"Holy hell!" Krillin stammered. "That was one hit, and he's already down!? But—he's a Super Saiyan!"

_Dammit!_ Piccolo thought as he flew from the ridge to try and intervene, with Tien following suit with him, leaving Sofia and Krillin on the roadside to watch on.

Hesitating, Sofia dropped her clenched fists to her side and scowled. _I can't jump in too…but I hate just standing here!_

She watched; making sure the sequence of events still remained accurate to her memory. Piccolo was first to try and engage Seventeen in an offensive attack, but was thwarted when the dark-haired Android easily dodged and planted his own fist into Piccolo's stomach, doubling over with the force before bashing his other fist into Piccolo's cheek to propel him down to the ground. Sofia winced, but stood in her spot, earning Krillin's shocked glance for a moment before Tien's foiled intervention gripped his attention back on the chaos below.

When Android 17 put the triclops in a headlock, an injured Vegeta took it as his opportunity to try and get an advantage in the confrontation, but was prevented in his attempt by Android 18. The blonde Android grabbed his ankle in midair and forcefully swung the Saiyan prince into Trunks just as the other fighter had recovered and attempted to advance in an attack aimed at Eighteen.

Vegeta and Trunks collided into each other before hitting the ground – hard. The collision was so strong that it knocked Trunks out, causing his Super Saiyan aura to go dormant.

"Gaah! Oh no…what're we going to do?!" Krillin frantically shouted before glancing over at Sofia and noticing the other hulking Android that was still yards away. He'd completely forgotten about the behemoth and now sweated fearfully before flinching when the Android glanced over at him and smiled. "Uhhhh…tell me we still have a chance to turn this around…!"

She didn't respond. Still focused intently on the sequence of events that played out below, Sofia watched as the only conscious fighters were a severely injured Vegeta, an indisposed Tien, and Piccolo, who'd come to and was startled to find everything having gone so wrong so quick. _Don't do it...just stay down…_

Her plea was contrary to how the sequence should play out, but she couldn't stand to see him get hurt. However, she knew it was futile, and watched as her twin star leapt up and attempted to fight Android 17 again. Knocking out Tien and letting him drop unconscious to the ground, Seventeen easily dodged Piccolo's strike once again, and this time, aimed his punch with deft precision.

Piccolo felt like he'd been hit by a battering ram directly in the solar plexus. It was a stupefying punch that jolted his entire system into such pain that he blacked out. Android 17 smugly balanced the Namekian warrior in his hand by his chest before tossing him down to crash against the ground with a pained shout.

The rage that filled Sofia at watching the person she loved hurt and tossed aside so dismissively was the only thing that kept her eerily focused. She didn't see anything else but the events unfolding before her. Her eyes burned as she watched Vegeta, who'd been playing possum for the last few moments, finally leap up and aim a ki blast directly at Android 18. The skilled woman dodged the attack and rewarded Vegeta's effort with a wicked crack to his face, then a kick that sent him sprawling into the air before landing breathlessly face down on the ground before the cybernetic blonde stomped down on his lower back, then kicked him like a ragdoll onto his side.

Vegeta shouted in agony as she ruthlessly ground her heel onto his uninjured arm's bicep. "This should teach you to not be so full of yourself, little man," Android 18 mused as she disabled his arm, earning a bone-chilling cry of suffering from Vegeta before he passed out from the pain.

"Hey look, he isn't glowing anymore," Android 17 mused as he landed on a low plateau just above his sister. "And his hair went back to normal. What a weird phenomenon."

"Yeah, it was the same for the other guy. How strange," Android 18 mused as she ran her fingers through her hair.

With all his friends out of commission, Krillin staggered fearfully back from the edge of the ridge, going into his fearful panic mode as he stammered to himself. Meanwhile, Sofia still remained in her spot. _Please, just fly up here and keep it moving…_

"Doesn't matter. They were no match for us. Now we can go have some real fun," Android 17 answered his sister's comment about wondering who the lavender-haired fighter was.

"Sure," Eighteen answered, and was about to turn away from Vegeta, when her cold blue eyes lingered on the unconscious Saiyan for a beat. "We can't have much fun if we leave this jerk here—"

"Ah, c'mon. If they don't get any Senzu Beans, they'll be out of commission to not bother us for a good while—"

"True. I don't mind the others, but frankly, this bastard was too big for his britches. I doubt he's as strong as Goku, but a lot of the data in our files hasn't been accurate," Android 18 glanced at her brother as she tilted Vegeta's head to the side with the tip of her boot. "Maybe we should be smarter than the old man and actually tie up loose ends—?"

Before either Eighteen or Seventeen registered the movement, Sofia was suddenly standing in front of her. With a cold glare, she used a telekinetic blast to push the cybernetic blonde back to skid in her paces and caused the dark-haired teen to leap away and land next to his sister. Both balked at each other for the first time before glancing back at the odd woman with the slanted red eyes. It was at this time that Eighteen noticed her appearance and the hooped earrings she was wearing.

"Well, that's one way to make an entrance…" Android 18 muttered before giving her a once over, openly admiring her outfit. "I love your jeans," she mused in her cool tone at the other woman.

Smirking, Sofia remarked, "Thanks. I love your boots. I gotta get me a pair."

"Hmph," Seventeen couldn't help grunt with humor at the fashion compliments as he dusted his shoulder off. "Well then. Got tired of standing on the sidelines?" he drawled, resting his hands on his hips as he mused, "Is your other friend going to jump down and join in too?"

Krillin was staring down at them and flinched at being referred to.

"No. I'm just curious about something," sobering, Sofia responded in a measured tone, eyes flaring crimson at them as she assessed her options. The eerie glow surprised the two Androids further, and even earned Android 16's attention from his current vantage point still on the ridge. "Can he pick me up on his energy scanner?"

The odd question disarmed the teenaged cybernetic siblings. Glancing up at Sixteen, they silently gestured for the Android to scan her. However, when he shook his head at them after his CPU registered "ANOMALY" as the inconclusive reading, they realized for the first time that things were in a nebulous arena that could pose a serious threat to them.

"No, but you already knew that," Android 17 declared.

"You must be an ally of Goku's to be running interference for that jerk Vegeta and the others," Android 18 mused. "But at the same time, you've not engaged us at all like the others…"

"She's not one of us."

Snapping their attentions up at the ridge at Android 16, the siblings waited for their reticent companion to continue, so when he didn't, Android 17 couldn't help scowl. "Can you elaborate, buddy?"

"The probability that she is an Android is only 10 percent. Dr. Gero would've kept some record of her in our database—"

"We didn't know about you until Gero mentioned Android 19. Truth is, the old man clearly didn't have much trust in any of us, so wouldn't it be reasonable to think he created another Android to mess with us?" Android 18 retorted to Android 16 and earned an aloof shrug from Android 17.

_Ok…while they're distracted, I gotta make sure the others get taken care of. I need Krillin to get the Senzu Beans together and heal everyone,_ Sofia strategized. _But maybe I can nudge them back on track? They shouldn't care to continue fighting now that they've made their point…_ She knew engaging in a fight with the two Androids was something she should completely avoid. Having learned the hard way from her earlier interventions, she didn't want to cause any more divergence or motivate any more strife. Glancing down at an unconscious Vegeta at her feet, she knew everyone needed to be healed as soon as possible.

'KAMI! Please—can you hear me, Kami?!' Sofia shouted telepathically. When she felt a very dull tug on her telepathic rapport, she tried again. 'KAAAAAAAMIIIIIIIIIIIII —!'

'I'm here! I'm here, Sofia,' she heard the Guardian of Earth respond. 'My goodness, there's no need to shout—'

'I'm so sorry, but I don't have much time! I need you to reach out telepathically to Krillin for me and tell him that when the time is right, he needs to gather the guys, bring 'em to the road and get 'em to take Senzu Beans! Please do this for me!?' Sofia hurriedly petitioned to her twin star's other half as she watched the Android sibling's heated discourse with Android 16.

'Of course! Are you alright—?'

'Kami—please, I don't have much time…' Sofia felt the anxiety build in her in that moment, but when she gazed at the battlefield and saw Piccolo still unconscious and hurt, the anxiety fizzled like vapor within her and was instead replaced with a simmering rage.

From atop of the ridge, Krillin stood on the side of the road and trembled with anxiety as he let Kami's telepathic plea sink in while he watched Sofia seem to decide to square up with the Androids. _Oh man, she can't be thinking of fighting these two by herself!? And what if that big guy jumps in?! I'll have to help her for sure—wait. Maybe that's the diversion? That's how she'll get 'em distracted so I can help the other guys?_ As the realization hit the former monk, he watched as Sofia began to glow with a fiery crimson aura. "Uh-oh!"

* * *

"I think you're giving the old man way too much credit, Eighteen," Android 17 remarked in response to his sister's banter with Android 16, drawing Eighteen's attention from their imposing companion as he drawled, "But really, what's it matter—"

"There's a lot about Dr. Gero you three don't know."

The three Androids now directed their attention back at Sofia after she phased to stand between their lines of sight.

"Hm, is that a fact?" Android 17 asked in his nonchalant tone, crossing his arms while Android 18 stoically gave her a once over.

"Yeah, but – like you said, it doesn't matter. They've held you up for long enough, and there was no cool ride coming down this road _before_ a chunk of it got blown to hell, so you'll probably have better luck finding something to cruise around in somewhere else," Sofia offered, hoping it would encourage the trio to move along as they were supposed to.

Giving each other measured sidelong glances, the blue-eyed siblings seemed to almost communicate with just a look. As if silently coming to an agreement, they smirked and gazed back towards her.

"You know, we haven't been having as much fun as we'd hoped, and this little game you're playing with us is intriguing. I say it calls for us to make things a bit more interesting," Seventeen mused.

"That's right. Unless you just want to tell us what you're hiding so we can find something better to do," Eighteen offered, shrugging when Seventeen grunted in agreement. "Or maybe that's exactly what you're hoping for?"

The anger she was trying to quell was flooding hot, turbulent ki to flare out from the red aura that began to envelop her. "I get it," she mused, forcing her features into a stoic mask as she continued, "Since this hasn't been much sport for you, you wanna try me out. Maybe you'll get your answers that way, or maybe not. Either way…you just wanna have some fun, right?" when the smug Android siblings grunted in agreement, she tugged on the weighted sleeve of her top and pulled it off seamlessly from the rest of her shirt before tossing the sleeve with a heavy thud to the ground, then following suit with the other sleeve. When her arms were free of the restrictive training weight, with one swift motion, she unfastened the hook-and-eye closures of her corset in a sweeping gesture before shrugging the heavily weighted cinched apparatus off to crash to the ground. Once free of all her weighted garments, Sofia's eyes glowed crimson with searing rancor as she continued in a caustic sneer, " _Fine._ Let's get _nuts_ , then!"

In a flash, Sofia's preternaturally sped forward and flew directly at Android 18 before doing a last minute pivot and slamming her fist into Android 17's stomach with such force it doubled the smug teen over. When Eighteen spun to retaliate, Sofia used her momentum to spin herself out of the way and plant her boot into the small of Seventeen's back, propelling him into his sister with break-neck force.

"Ga-ugh!" the siblings choked out as they collided against each other and skidded in their paces before recovering to watch Sofia phase between them to spin kick them in a series of fluid combos that left them reeling from dodges, slides and pivots before she flipped out from between their synchronized defensive blows.

"Whoa!" Krillin gaped from his vantage point, watching as Sofia was managing to somehow keep her offensive assault up and push the cybernetic teens away from the others. "That's it…"

Offering a cautious glance over at the other hulking Android, Krillin realized he was completely ignoring him as he surveyed the fight.

When Sofia kicked Android 17 into the opposite cliffside from the road, she ducked in a contorted back lean to avoid Android 18's swing before blocking the next flurry of blows the blonde was leveling on her. Dodging a particularly sharp kick, Sofia spun to almost narrowly avoid Seventeen after he blasted out of the cliff he'd flown into to zoom straight at her. Phasing above head, Sofia gave Krillin a piercing, quick glare before appearing to stand across from the cybernetic siblings. Gulping, Krillin realized she was signaling for him to get moving.

"Hmph…" Android 17 grunted as he dusted his shoulder off and glanced over at Android 18.

Suddenly, the siblings pivoted to stand side-by-side with an arm extended to charge up a duo ki blast aimed directly at Sofia, who stood her ground and watched as the molten energy careened directly towards her.

When the energy detonated, the ground shook, sending dust and debris flying around.

"Well, that was entertaining," Eighteen began to muse when she noticed Seventeen was still staring straight ahead. Gazing over, she watched as the smoke cleared and revealed the red-eyed woman intact, housed in a protective glowing energy sphere similar to the energy force field her brother put up to deflect mass-energy attacks.

"You look disappointed," Sofia drawled, smirking at them from the confines of the glowing red sphere that protected her from any other energy attacks. "Perhaps you two should take turns coming at me? Doesn't seem like your coordinated combos are working."

"Hmph," Android 17 grunted in amusement. "You're bluffing. You know we're not fighting at our utmost level. You've just been toying with us," he retorted as he glanced over and caught a glance of Krillin reaching the ridge with an unconscious Vegeta propped on his shoulder.

"Buying time for him to clear the field of the injured and get them some Senzu Beans," Android 18 nonchalantly mused as she took a casual stance beside her brother. "Well, that settles it—"

"You guys really need to have more imagination."

When both siblings stared sharply over at her, Sofia allowed her energy sphere to dissipate so she could lope towards them. Here eyes were narrowed and her gaze was fierce, seeming to pierce through them.

When she was a few yards away from them she stopped and let her aura begin to scintillate around her frame. "Fashion tips aside…your ambitions are really frivolous in the grand scheme of what we're doing here. Fun and aimless, sure, but you both haven't bothered to wonder beyond yourselves about the world around you or _why_ Dr. Gero has spent all these years crafting creations," she paused her caustic jeer once she noticed Krillin was tending to the injured Z Fighters at the top of the road. "Not all of them were successful, including his own modifications…but that doesn't mean he stopped innovating. Your lack of imagination about his level of acrimony towards his failed designs, your insolence towards him, and all those who've thwarted him will be your downfall."

Raising an aloof eyebrow, Seventeen nonchalantly muttered, "Is that it?"

"Nope," Sofia offered, powering up and causing the atmosphere to change with the crackly heat and turbulence of her ominous aura of pent up rage as she bared her predatory fangs and barked, "I haven't been fighting at my peak either, so do me a favor and," raising her hand in front of her, she triggered her telekinetic homing to lock onto the siblings as she snapped, " _get over here_!"

In an instant, Seventeen and Eighteen felt as if an invisible harness was fastened around their torsos before snapping them with blistering momentum straight toward Sofia. Volleying the Androids like tethered weights on either side of her, Sofia spun, plowing one foot into Seventeen's stomach before roundhouse kicking Eighteen in her side – propelling both apart to skid into opposite directions.

Eighteen recovered with a backflip before crouching in expectation of the next blow, and realizing she was alone. "Huh?!" glancing across the expanse of the battle-ravaged ravine, she realized the odd woman had instead flown towards engaging her brother in a brawling combo where they both countered, blocked, phased, zipped and bashed into each other's defenses. "Hmph," the blonde dusted herself off and began to levitate upwards into the sky once the fighters remained in the air and their fighting didn't seem to be reaching back to the ground any time soon.

_Damn, she's not half bad,_ Seventeen thought as she kept managing to overwhelm his defenses before she'd move almost too fast for even him to keep track. She seemed to be more keenly intent to bash him around for some reason, so when he sensed Eighteen hovering on the sidelines waiting to jump in, he snapped his head towards her direction and shouted, "Stay out of it! I can handle this myself."

Cool expression hardening, Android 18 exchanged a sharp glare for mere seconds with her brother before descending towards the highway road to land unbothered next to Android 16. "Suit yourself," she huffed and crossed her arms as she kept watch of the battle in the air.

Meanwhile, as Sofia had kept the cybernetic teens distracted, Krillin had managed to gather his injured comrades, taking them up to the highway and out of the fray. While Trunks had come to first to stare in nonplussed astonishment at Sofia not only fighting the two Androids on her own, but holding her own against them, Piccolo had recovered just in time to see his twin star parrying punch after punch with Android 17; fist colliding against fist with cracking energy that blew the atmosphere into a tumult around them and caused crackling pulses to be heard from the ground.

_What the hell is she doing?!_ He was horrified, not knowing what the best course of action was and not wanting to interfere either, for fear he would distract her. The more he watched her, though, the more he realized her stamina was waning, but her zeal for the battle was the only thing keeping her from getting sloppy.

When she suddenly phased with an intended kick aimed for Seventeen's back, she came face to face with the dark-haired teen as he'd anticipated her attack and pivoted to kick her with such force that even though she blocked the blow, it sent her careening down towards the road. Sofia was barely able to spin herself around to flip and land in a feline crouch to the pavement before vaulting backwards out of the way from another kick Seventeen had aimed at her and instead planted into the gravel she'd once stood on.

Skidding from her precarious landing, Sofia was back in her fighting stance when Android 17 smirked over at her before irreverently quipping, "You're not gonna get me with another one of those counters, hun."

Still barely conscious, Vegeta thought he was hallucinating at the sight several yards before him. It wasn't until Trunks and Krillin were hovering over him trying to force another Senzu Bean into his mouth that he realized this was no fugue state. "What tha—!"

"C'mon, Vegeta—just take the Senzu," Krillin snapped hastily at the Saiyan Prince while Trunks turned to watch Sofia snarl and run back straight towards Android 17.

"DON'T CALL ME HUN!" she snarled at him, her ominously, lethal-tinted aura seething and steaming off of her as she barreled her full power behind her punch as it resoundingly collided with his fist with such force it disarmed the atmosphere around them before blowing violent air to swirl around them and outward against the canyon and down through the ravine. The moment her fist collided with his, unlike previous punch-on-punch blows, she felt a tremor of pain splinter down her arm as the blow reverberated into her bones. "Tch—!" she gritted her teeth against the pain, her aura still burning around her and rage enveloping her as she continued to push against his strength.

When he raised his other hand palm out towards her, she pivoted and grappled his hand before he could discharge any energy blast and laced the fingers of her other, albeit, injured hand around his fist to keep him from retaliating.

Instead of the continued zeal for battle she expected to see in Android 17's blue eyes, she instead saw a glimmer of intrigue show in his usually derisive gaze before he glanced over his shoulder at his companions. "Well, looks like you were right, Sixteen," he remarked musingly before disengaging in his grappling with Sofia with an aura burst that pushed her back, leaving her to stand in a defiant, albeit, exhausted offensive stance.

"Yeah. She's no Android. You called it," Eighteen smirked as she glanced up at the stoic Android 16.

"Sure, Sixteen called it—I'm not an Android, but I wasn't bluffing with what I said before," she snapped at Eighteen before her red eyes narrowed at Seventeen as he grunted in dismissive amusement. "Hey–we were in the middle of something, Seventeen—!" Sofia shouted at the dark-haired Android's back as he turned to lope confidently back over to his companions.

"Nah, we're done. It was a lot of fun, don't get me wrong, but once I figured out the answer to your game, it was over," the cybernetic punk retorted indifferently with a shrug of a shoulder, adding, "Thanks for the warm up…oh, what was your name?" He half turned to acknowledge her.

Letting her aura go dormant, she stood out of her battle stance and scoffed. "It ain't 'hun,' that's for sure," was all she answered, clenching her fists as she struggled to keep her imposing stance against the rush of fatigue and muscle strain that was now threatening to cripple her onto her knees.

"Hmph, I'll definitely keep that in mind next time," Seventeen retorted glibly as he turned and continued loping away. "See yah," he offered, waving casually over his shoulder at her.

Beginning to tremble under the strain of her body, Sofia couldn't keep the façade any longer. Falling onto one knee and bracing her fall with her uninjured arm, she began to pant from the intense exertion she put her system through.

"Sofia!" Krillin ran up to her and helped her, letting her lean against his side as he tried to rally her to stand. "C'mon—"

"I'm fine…go talk to them, Krillin," she exhaled and pushed herself into a sitting position.

"Huh?" the former monk wondered before snapping his gaze over at the bantering Androids as they seemed unbothered by the series of events that had just transpired. Stammering with fear, he glanced down at Sofia as she panted in exhaustion, and felt foolish for having stood on the sidelines the whole time. "Uh—hey! Wait!" he shouted as she ran after the Androids.

"And…what do you want?" Android 17 drawled as he turned sidelong to acknowledge Krillin.

"I just need to know…what is it that you're after?! Do you want to kill Goku? Take over the world? What is it?!" Krillin rapid fired.

"Well, let's just say we're striking out on our own for a while, and sure, all of the above is an option," Seventeen remarked, succeeding in unnerving Krillin more. "Cheer up. We left your friends alive, and it looks like you ran a different kind of interference for them while she kept us entertained."

"Why don't you just ask him where Goku is now while we're at it?" Android 18 mused to her brother.

"Eh, that's no fun. I'd rather we make some effort of it; keep things interesting," Android 17 retorted.

"So you ARE looking to kill Goku?! Why? What's he ever done to you? Dr. Gero is gone, you saw to that, so you don't have to do anything he ordered you to do!" Krillin tried reasoning with the cybernetic trio.

"Gero's got nothing to do with it. We're playing a game," Android 17 offered coolly.

"A g-game!?" Krillin balked. "That's your only reason?!"

"Yeah – if I wanted to find Goku, I could beat it out of you, but that's no fun. Hunting him down is part of the game."

Aghast, Krillin could only find himself exclaiming, "Please! Just leave Goku alone. Just forget this game and walk away, would you?"

"Well, what do you think of that plan, Sixteen?" Android 17 inquired smoothly over at his imposing companion.

Waiting on baited breath, Krillin hoped the big guy would show no passion for this depraved game.

"Negative. I have one purpose: Kill Goku. That's all."

"Well, there you go," Seventeen drawled, adding, "Don't worry about Goku, and just take care of your friends," gesturing towards Sofia, he muttered, "she could use a Senzu Bean, after all."

With that, the three Androids turned to go, but not before an amused Android 18 turned and leaned over to plant a kiss on Krillin's cheek as she charmed, "Good luck, I'm sure I'll see you real soon."

Balking, Krillin simply watched in stupefied wonder as the beautiful blonde loped away and took to the air with the other two before they jetted into the sky, out of sight.

Staring at the unexpected outcome, Piccolo struggled to get to his feet as Krillin turned and ran back over to Sofia. "Hey, you gotta take a Senzu this time, ok?" he heard the former monk cajole at his twin star as he reached into his pouch and fished out his cut of the parceled out remaining beans from before. "You can have one of mine," he offered and handed her a bean.

Turning laboriously to look over her shoulder, her vision was slightly blurring at the edges as she tried to survey the others. "Did you give them already what they need?"

"I gave one to Tien and Trunks has been trying to get Vegeta to take a second Senzu…he was in bad shape," Krillin answered, his brows knitted with worry.

"…you should give one to Trunks and another to Piccolo. I'm fine—"

"No you're not!" Piccolo barked, shocking them. She turned and finally noticed he was stalking over at them. "You are _not_ fine, dammit! Look at you—you can't even fucking stand!" he shouted in exasperated, impotent rage. He didn't even know why he was angry, but here he was, seeing her trying to refute aid after somehow holding her own against two Androids when he couldn't even land a punch against once before getting knocked senseless. "Give her a Senzu and do not let her move until she's taken it, got it!?" he snapped at Krillin, who nervously sweated and nodded vigorously at the Demon King's orders.

"You heard 'em, Sofia! Please…just take it so you can feel better," Krillin's eyes were wide and glossy as he pleaded with her.

Shooting Piccolo a sharp glare as he stalked away in a huff to check on the others, she took the Senzu from Krillin's palm and ate it, chewing vigorously before swallowing and feeling an intense wave of replenishing energy surge into her bloodstream and tissue before she sprung up and shook off the formerly debilitating strain her body had been in. "Whoa!" she clenched her fists and felt as if her power had rebounded like never before. Glancing down at Krillin, Sofia's eyes softened as she scratched the back of her head and chimed, "Thanks, Krillin! You were super awesome and I totally owe yah."

"Don't mention it! We all owe you for keeping those crazy Androids distracted—"

"—C'mon, Vegeta, please take the Senzu!"

"WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?!"

Piccolo ignored the mercurial Saiyan's tempter tantrum and stalked over to survey the ground below, his brooding rage clouding his temper and creating the objective distance he needed between he and his twin star. He pushed all his feelings for her down deep, and focused on the seething, simmering fury that was churning his thoughts into turbulent worry.

Meanwhile, Tien huffed and glanced at Krillin and Sofia when they made their way over to see what the commotion was about.

Reluctantly swallowing the magical aid, Vegeta became fully healed, and was now reeling in a fury about how he'd been thrashed so easily, while Trunks tried pleading with him once again to listen to reason and wait until Goku was back to full health before engaging the Androids once again.

"Uhhh…have Trunks or Piccolo taken a Senzu?" Sofia muttered over at Krillin as she watched father and son squabble.

"Oh, no. They came to on their own—"

"Well if _I_ gotta eat one," she began softly, before suddenly shouting the rest, "YOU HAVE TO EAT A SENZU TOO, SO STOP FUCKING FIGHTING!" Pausing, they all stared at her and watched as she flailed her arms with goofy tension before continuing, "Trunks – stop arguing with Vegeta right now! He's not going to change his mind and you're wasting your breath," she lectured as she took Krillin's remaining Senzu, stalked over to Trunks, and pressed the bean against his lips before snapping authoritatively, " _EAT_."

Blinking in awe at her, the lavender-haired fighter allowed the bean to pop into his mouth before chewing it thoughtfully. Satisfied, she turned on her heel, and stalked over to Piccolo, who was fumingly glaring at the horizon when she went to stand next to him.

"I will not be bossed around," the surly warrior growled, still irrationally livid.

'You've been bossing me around all fucking day. The least you can do is take some of your own damned medicine,' she sharply seethed at him over their telepathic rapport.

Glaring sidelong at her, he begrudgingly took one of his Senzus from his sash and popped it into his mouth before turning to glare back at the horizon. Satisfied, albeit exasperated by his attitude, she turned, pausing midway when she caught sight of Trunks' discarded, damaged sword in the rocky debris below. Using her telekinetic power, she willed the sword to float up to her and snagged it in midair. Expertly spinning it with the flick of her wrist, she went back to the others.

"Dammit…I can't believe I just let those Androids take off. They could be heading to Goku's right this second," Krillin grumbled, conflict etched in his features as Sofia walked over and tossed the sword over to Trunks. "Gohan and Bulma are out there too! What if—!"

"They're not going after anyone…at least not for some time," Sofia cut in simply as she held Trunks' wrist so she could use the mirrored edge of the sword's blade to give herself an appraising glance. Seeing her reflection in the undamaged blade he held up, she frowned. Her hair was tussled and dirty, the hem of her green top tattered and frayed so badly that it was now exposing her lithe torso and a hint of navel, and her motto jeans were worn and zinged. Grimacing, she guided Trunks' arm to sheath the sword to his back and sighed. The lavender-haired Saiyan just blinked at her as she continued, unworried, "Gohan dropped Bulma, baby Trunks and Yajirobe off at Capsule Corp, and he's probably heading home to check on Goku. You heard Seventeen – they're in no hurry to complete their directive. After all, they've been in stasis for years, so they're going to sorta road trip around for a bit."

Turning to face the dubious expressions of the Z Fighters as they hung on her cavalier comment, she blinked child-like at them before realizing she was shooting the breeze too freely. Sweatdropping at their intense stares, she cleared her throat, and cautiously mumbled, "Alright…hit me with it."

As soon as she gestured for them to unload their thoughts, the fighters who'd been unconscious most of the battle asked what happened. With Krillin's help, Sofia filled them in, sparing no details, including how the Androids knew about the Senzu Beans, had encouraged them to heal the fallen, had confirmed their intent to kill Goku, but had also explained their twisted ambition of toying with them and approaching their pursuits as a game only they were playing.

While the others asked questions, Vegeta eventually went to stand off to the side and seethe, his surly personality having retreated into the brooding, self-flagellation he punished himself with after a crushing, humiliating defeat.

"It doesn't make any damn sense. If they wanted to kill us, why not finish us off?! It's like we weren't even worth the effort to them…" Tien snapped, exasperated. "I don't believe it!"

"They were toying with us from the start. It's been all about sport for them—they humiliated us, just because they could," Piccolo growled. "If they'd really been serious in their motives, they would've killed us all – not treated us like fodder and tossed us back to be healed…"

"Guys—that's what we're telling you," they glanced back at Sofia. "All you can do is expect the unexpected. What you think you know is not fact. Right now, just take the L and learn from it—"

"Sport…humiliated for _sport_?!"

Snapping their gazes to Vegeta, they watched as his broad shoulders shook with fury.

"All of my training—the degradation of clawing back from the brink just to surpass plateau after excruciating plateau to reach the height of Super Saiyan—all to be thrashed like a low class warrior…to be bested like _THAT_?!" Vegeta fumed between clenched jaw, atmosphere trembling with his rage as he fell to his knees and punched the ground. "Is this some sick, demented _joke_?!"

Frowning, Sofia phased to stand close to him, but not close enough as to invade his personal space. She knew this was not the reaction that should be playing out, but didn't know just why such reaction was simmering out of him now and here. "Yo…I know this is _not_ how you thought things would go, Vegeta, but—"

"But WHAT?!" he snarled at her, dark eyes blistering with rage and, something lonesome. "I've trained to the point of fucking insanity to reach the level of Super Saiyan, and for my efforts, I'm saved by being annihilated by a girl from a _girl_?!"

Sofia's red eyes were wide for mere seconds before they narrowed and pulsated crimson, her own sneer revealing her ferocious fangs as her ominous, rage-filled aura seemed to eclipse heavily over her—an oppressively disarming phenomenon none except Piccolo had seen before in moments she was teetering between unabashed fury and something unexpected. The others watched, completely gob smacked, as she flew at him and picked him up by the front collar of his Saiyan armor and hauled him up to stand.

"Are you fucking _KIDDING_ me?!" She bellowed in his face, causing the mercurial Saiyan's eyes to widen almost comically as she continued fiercely, "You are the Prince of _all_ Saiyans! You _do not_ wallow in your failure and defeat like some bitch-ass sissy! You _use_ defeat as fuel to rally and overwhelm your enemies with the sheer power of a fucking SAIYAN ELITE!"

Everyone watching the display but Trunks face-faulted to the ground at the intense-yet-wackily blistering pep talk.

Blinking his stupor away, Vegeta's brows knitted in anger again as she let his armor go and shoved him back, declaring fumingly, "Girl or no girl, I will not _suffer_ any of your bullshit spiraling, Vegeta! Now...act like the fucking Badman I _respect_ and get to ascending to the next level of Super Saiyan already."

When his response was to only glare at her, then at the others, before boring his dark, turbulent gaze back at her, she nodded curtly at him – silently answering his irascible stare with reassurance in her eyes. In a furious tumult, he growled before turning to blast off at break-neck speed to the sky, leaving them to watch his energy contrail slash the atmosphere in his wake.

Trunks went to blast off in pursuit of his father when Piccolo shouted for him to not follow. "It'd be best to let him go. The only thing that took more of a beating than him was his pride. He's gotta wrestle with that on his own," the imposing Namekian mused firmly, to Trunks' chagrin.

Loping over to place a comforting hand on the lavender-haired fighter's shoulder, Sofia mused in a silly singsong, "He's right, you know. Following him is just going to get his panties into a bigger bunch than they already are now."

Sweatdropping at that, Trunks nodded in understanding.

"Guys, I gotta say I'm sorry I didn't do more. I should've jumped in and fought too. I totally froze…" Krillin murmured meekly, earning a gruff grunt from Piccolo.

"No offense, but I don't think your contribution would've amounted to much against opponents who could take out a Super Saiyan like nothing. No use beating yourself up about it," Piccolo grumbled.

"Ugh, this is insane! I wish Goku'd been here. I know he could've put a stop to them—!"

"Goku could get ten times stronger than he is right now, and still not fair any better than Trunks did—they're too strong, and unbeatable!" Glancing over disdainfully at Trunks with all three of his eyes, Tien mused curtly, "You took out Frieza in a flash, but those Androids pummeled you! Had Vegeta not swooped in, you would've been a goner…"

"C'mon, Tien, lay off the kid—" Krillin began protesting.

"Well, what're we supposed to do now? If we can't anticipate things to go the way we expect, and if two Super Saiyans are no match for those things, how the hell do we have a chance at beating them!?" Tien fumed his frustrations.

Frowning, Sofia stayed silent and glanced over at Trunks as he resolutely looked at the fighters and stated, "I'm sorry. I'm afraid to say this but it doesn't help that these things are not the same Androids I'm used to dealing with…"

The others balked at his revelation. "What're you talking about?" Piccolo inquired, trepidation rising among them.

"The one's I fought in my own time weren't anywhere near as powerful. They were stronger than me, sure, but I at least we were somewhat evenly matched," Trunks explained, glancing over at Sofia when she crossed her arms and sighed just as the others swiveled their gazes over at her, as if in anticipation for her to validate his assertion.

Slapping her arms down against her sides, Sofia huffed, "He's not exaggerating. Seventeen and Eighteen in his time are different than the ones from our time. Without getting into specifics…there's no chance any of us can beat them in serious combat as things stand now."

"That's not all the way true though! You fought both of them and came out relatively unscathed," Tien offered earnestly while Krillin nodded along. "And they did not have any intel on your background or power level like they did with the rest of us. If we trained more to give you support, then maybe we stand a chance—"

"They were not fighting at their full potential, Tien," Sofia shook her head and added to her sobering remark, "I was able to keep them on their toes by playing coy, but if they'd been intent on fighting at 100 percent? I would've been knocked out easily."

"You were able to use your knowledge against them and got them to be cagey—even had them looking a bit worried for a minute," Krillin remarked, adding in a cajole, "There's really nothing that can be done to get the upper hand with them?"

"That was a ruse that they will not fall for again. They figured out I'm not an Android, and while I am an anomaly to them, I am no match for either of the three in a serious fight," Sofia answered firmly, crossing her arms as she added as an aside, "You're also forgetting my involvement in any battle could just throw events off track even further and make things worse…"

Completing taking the wind out of their sails further, the warriors regarded each other tensely as the weight of what she was saying left them stumped.

Feeling a sense of dread begin to skitter up her spine, she watched as Piccolo's ruminating kicked into high gear. "Then that settles it…you four: go to Goku's house and take him somewhere the Androids can't find him. Whatever our next move is, we need to keep Goku safe until he's well enough to fight with us," the imposing warrior ordered of the others, earning a quirked brow from Sofia.

'Four?' she shot over their telepathic rapport.

He ignored her as Krillin piped up, "Uh, just the four of us? What're you exactly planning to do, Piccolo?"

"Hmph. Good question, but it's none of your concern," Piccolo grumbled firmly, pointedly ignoring the searing dot-eyed stare Sofia was boring into him as the others gave him perplexed looks.

"Hey, c'mon buddy, you obviously have something in mind. So fill us in! No sense in keeping us in the dark," the former monk retorted, adding, "Last time I checked, we were all in this together, right?"

_Ugh…here we go,_ Sofia acerbically muttered to herself.

"Is that so?" Piccolo caustically grunted, before barking venomously, "and when did I agree to that?! Don't make the mistake of thinking we were _ever_ friends!" Blasting a scalding ki sphere between them to rotate a crater before detonating as he leapt into the air, he threateningly shouted, "We may have a temporary truce, but it's only because it furthers my goal of world domination. Never forget that, and don't even _think_ about following me. Just do as your told!"

As the others road out the turbulent aftershocks of his energy blast, Sofia caught his eye. He saw how her crimson spheres shimmered in the afternoon sunlight, and knew all too well what she was thinking.

'That goes for you too. Don't follow me, Sofia.'

With that, he blasted off at full speed, making direct course for the Lookout, and leaving her with the others to stew at his brash exit.

She knew what he was up to, and understood his sense of obligatory defiance towards being anything other than the imposing big bad foe in times like these, but for some reason, her heart still hurt that he felt the need to push her away too.

Tien was the closest Z Figther standing near her when the dust settled. "Great. I shouldn't be surprised. Once a bad guy always a bad guy. I guess that Demon King streak is still strong in him, even after all these years," Tien ruminated scornfully.

Turning to swiftly swat the triclops on his bare shoulder, Sofia snapped, "Ye of little faith! You're real judgmental for a dude who used to be a wannabe bad boy from the Crane Hermit's school, arentcha!"

Sweatdropping, Tien blinked at her before stammering, "I'm just saying he used to be a real terror just like Daimaou was—"

"I wouldn't buy that show of bravado, Tien," Krillin cut in before Sofia could go from swatting to punching the triclops. "I'd say he's just trying to save face. Afterall, Piccolo's got his pride too, you know." The former monk went on to clarify what was most likely the Namekian warrior's true motives and the course of action he was about to pursue. Sofia listened and inwardly smiled, appreciating hearing the kind words Krillin was speaking for her twin star, and hitting the nail right on the head about why Piccolo was so keen to go off on his own to accomplish something that clearly was his last option.

Sobering any dissenting thoughts about the former villain-turned-ally, they turned to wondering what they should do next.

"Well, while the two resident hotheads are off doing their own thing for a bit, you guys should get to Goku's house and move everyone to Master Roshi's," Sofia mused as she combed her tousled hair back with her long, lethal nails.

"Wait, you're not coming with us?" Krillin inquired.

"I definitely want to check in on Goku…but I have something I need to check in on first. I'll meet you guys back at Kame House—"

"Do you need someone to go with you? It's not safe to wander off with those Androids out there," Trunks cut in, earning a wide-eyed blink from Sofia at how firmly resolute his tone was.

"Trunks—if you underestimate me one more time, I'm going to kick your ass," Sofia threatened with a fangy grin, before adding zanily, "okay?"

Blushing at that, the lavender-haired Saiyan nodded curtly as he grunted in agreement. "S-sure. Sorry!"

Comically leaning over with a conspiratorial look in his eye at Tien, Krillin chortled, "The kid just doesn't know how to handle the ladies, huh…"

"I guess he doesn't take after Vegeta in that regard. Not that you'd call that jerk a gentleman," the triclops muttered dryly, earning a stunned blink from Trunks.

"Oh, that's right…I wasn't honest and kept that from you all. I apologize," the polite yet powerful demi-Saiyan offered as he bowed his head.

"Well it's my fault for letting it out the bag earlier," Sofia chimed in as she phased over and patted him platonically on the back, grunting brashly, "But c'mon, look at that brooding, chiseled mug! As if you weren't related to ol' surly Vegeta. Just a handsome, stubborn chip off the old block, hahaha~!" Trunks practically turned pink from the blush that heated his cheekbones as Sofia spun on her heel and skipped away, unaware of the mortifying, albeit flirtatious edge, her platonic comments held and the reactions they garnered from the demi-Saiyan. "Alright! I gotta go, but I'll see yah guys later," she sardonically prattled as she leapt up into the air and gave them a parting two-fingered salute farewell—similar to a gesture Goku was known to make in departure—before blasting off into the sky.

As the two Z Fighters and future warrior watched her red contrail glow in her wake, they all gave each other musing glances before Krillin shrugged and remarked glibly, "At least we can say things are always interesting, right?"


	4. Vicissitude - Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much action the last few chapters, and there's still plenty to come. Sounds off and let me know what you think!

"Speech" 'Telepathy' _Thought *_ _Reminiscing*_

The doomsday scenario had never seemed so real as it did right now. Even after the threat of the Saiyans, he would've never considered things being so dire that he would have to resort to this.

As he slashed an angry contrail through the sky, Piccolo let his mind calm as it continued to confront the undeniable fact of what he was about to do. No matter how much the gnarling fury ate at him about having to resort to such a stunningly depraved measure, he could not deny that he was incapable of the strength and power required to best the Androids.

Korin's Tower came into view, and he began to ascend against the turbulent air current and cleared the clouds that hid the Lookout from the Earth below. Materializing his trademark turban and cape, he landed on the tiled courtyard and steeled himself further to the loathsome sequence of events he had to undertake in order to become the formidable warrior he needed to be.

Doubt crept into the back of his mind for a second before he pulverized it with his calculating and sharp determination to put all personal malice and grudges with the Kami of Earth aside. As he stalked defiantly towards the entrance of the palace, ignoring the tense genie that stood shaken at his imposing and purposeful arrival in a time of uncertainty, Piccolo set his jaw and stoically glared over at Kami – his other, elder half – as he phased to appear in front of him.

"I take it I don't need to waste time explaining why I'm here, old man," Piccolo groused, trying to keep his tone measured.

"I'm afraid so. You and I—well that's to say, your sire and I were once a single being long ago. So, suffice to say, I know your mind well," Kami mused serenely, even though he was tense at the implications of this conversation.

"Then let's not continue to chit chat…you know what has to be done," the younger Namekian warrior grumbled, crossing his arms tersely as Kami hummed almost lightheartedly at his retort.

"While I never expected this day to come where you and I would resolve our differences to unite into our original form, I am glad—" Kami's serene comment was cut off by Piccolo's dismissive grunt.

"I'm not doing this because I want to, old man! The idea of merging with you in any way sickens me, but I need our combined powers—I'll absorb you and your power to enhance my own abilities so I can defeat the Androids. If the Earth has to go without a guardian or the dragon balls, then so be it…" Piccolo caustically growled before firmly stating his intent to his older counterpart, his begrudging tone dripping with resentment as he trailed off the pointed consequences his petition would result in.

"N-no! You can't, Kami!" Mr. Popo pleaded, his ebony features contorted with worry.

"Please, calm yourself, old friend," Kami sighed, adding thoughtfully, "Neither Vegeta or his son were strong enough to defeat the Androids. I'm afraid not even Goku would be up for the task, even once recovered from his illness. While we are both unsettled by the ramifications this will cause…I think there is no other choice but for Piccolo to absorb me."

"Right you are. The time for a gentle guardian is over. The Earth needs a warrior with the strength and cunning to destroy these bastards before it's too late," Piccolo remarked resolutely, until Kami dropped a bomb on him.

"Let things unfold a bit more."

"W-what?! Are you serious?! Waiting for things to play out more – for what?! You've seen what they can do!" Piccolo barked at his elder half, stewing with impatience now.

"It would be foolish to act before we surmise whether they actually pose a threat to the Earth," Kami reasoned.

"Waiting for things to play out would be foolish! They crushed us, you saw—" Piccolo's harangue was cut off by Kami.

"I saw you were the ones to start the fight, and that they did _not_ try to kill you," Kami calmly mused, earning a terse grunt from Piccolo.

"You disgust me. While you've been up here looking down at the world from the safety of your throne, the rest of us have been risking our lives to save it. You heard Trunks' warning! The future is in _ruins_ because of these monsters," Piccolo snapped at Kami, becoming irascible in his temper.

"He also said these Androids are different from the ones he faced in his own time. The implications of that are still unclear—we need to assess the situation more clearly before resorting to your radical proposal, Piccolo—"

"What do you think is happening here?! This is no time to play it safe, old man—!"

"I'm not saying that! We need to be judicious with our next steps—"

"Spineless coward," Piccolo spat, sneering at the elder Namekian before snidely snickering as he turned on his heel and dismissively stalked away, " _Fine_. As you wish. We wouldn't want to act _rashly_ , but you better hope there's still a world left for us to save."

Glaring impotently at his younger half's back, Kami turned to his internal turmoil – the feelings of dread that had leapt for attention inside of him for quite some time over the last few years. A force of trepidation that had skittered in his empathic senses, but never rose to the surface of true alarm. He first thought it was related to the imminent Android threat, but now the foreboding was staunchly simmering for recognition, and he found himself unknowing of why it was stirring turbulently in his psyche now.

Meanwhile, Piccolo was about to sit in a surly huff and wait out his stubborn elder half when the rapid succession of paces stampeding towards him from his right caught his keen hearing before he was unceremoniously tackled to the ground and fiercely glomped.

"ACK—What tha—?!" he shouted before blinking comically down at the sneak attacker and turning violet with consternation while Kami and Mr. Popo loomed over them and sweatdropped.

The moment Sofia had landed on the Lookout and seen the tense exchange from the sprawling distance, the anxious turmoil that had been knotting in her stomach went slack and filled her with an impulsive need to expel all her frustration accumulated throughout the so far action-packed day. Squeezing her twin star affectionately now as she inhaled his warm and comforting scent, Sofia practically melted before snapping back to reality and realizing she probably looked insane.

Looking up and innocently blinking at Piccolo's mounting mortified expression, she flashed a fangy grin before drawling sweetly, "Hiiii. Don't be angwee with me, k?"

Now shaking with fuming embarrassment, Piccolo barked, "Are you fucking warped?! I TOLD YOU NOT TO FOLLOW ME!"

Leaning back to casually stare down at him, Sofia remained firmly sitting on his stomach as she huffed aloofly at his flaring temper and snapped, "I did NOT follow you. I came here to talk to Kami, and you just so happened to be up here already squabbling like an old married couple—"

"Get off of me _now_ , Sofia!" Piccolo interjected in a seething growl.

She continued, though, as if he hadn't interrupted, "—and ignoring the fact that you could instead start making nice-like since you'll be uniting as one being again soon, but noooooo! You want to act like you still boss me around, when you know good and goddamn well you do _not_ , so how about you just stop the big bad Demon King act and let me vent to Kami before I really lose my cool!"

Completely nonplussed by her railroading and brash outburst, Piccolo snapped his mouth shut and blinked up at her when her ominously seething aura and radiating flashing crimson eyes subsided.

Rolling her shoulders back and sighing a relieved huff, she leaned down and gave him a sultry peck on the lips before hopping up to greet a frazzled Kami and hug a perturbed Mr. Popo.

"I'm so sorry for being hella rude! I just couldn't help tackling this fine ass fool after the day we've had so far," Sofia chortled as she hilariously beamed and prattled on while Piccolo recovered and stood broodingly up to sulk behind her.

"This is no time to screw around, Sofia—" Piccolo bit tersely before she whirled around and stomped her foot.

"Don't you think I _know_ the exact time and place I CAN screw around?! You're going to sit here and snarkily bait Kami for not heeding your impatience, so go ahead and do that," she snapped and tossed her hair back so the tussled mane could be blown by the breeze out of her face before adding, "I know you wanna browbeat me about earlier, but that _can_ and _will_ wait, alright?"

"I was NOT going to browbeat you about anything!" Piccolo snapped right back, a temper vein popping on his temple.

"Fine, so even better! I don't have to expect any kind of lecture from you at all then!" she shot back, obstinately.

"I have bigger things to worry about than arguing with you right now, Sofia," he contumely growled and in a huff, storming off towards the edge of the Lookout, cape whipping in the breezy current behind him as he sat in the lotus position and crossed his muscular arms tightly over his chest.

The pang of hurt wallowed in her chest before she swallowed it down and turned to face Kami and Mr. Popo, shaking off her previous angst to put on a brave face. "I'm sorry. I know you have a lot of to consider right now, but I really need to talk to you, Kami," she breathed in a strained tone, trying desperately to sow apathy in her demeanor and carry on.

Kami registered it and her tumultuous psyche without having to sense deeply into her thoughts. "Of course," the benevolent guardian mumbled, and gestured for her to follow him to a more secluded corner of the sprawling courtyard. "Keep Piccolo company, old friend?"

"Of course, Kami," the ebony genie bowed and watched as the elder guardian and fiery woman went to converse in private.

Leading her just beyond the main courtyard to the more private alcove of the palace with the water fountain she'd hadn't been in since before she and Piccolo had entered the Hyperbolic Time Chamber years before, Kami gestured for her to take a seat on the marble bench that overlooked the lovely water feature before he joined her.

"What's bothering you, my child?" he smiled serenely at her, and submerged the urge to frown when she bowed her head to obscure her gaze from his keen stare.

"I won't burden you with the stupid crap I'm worrying about that has nothing to do with the real shit that's going down…" she huffed, blinking away the aching sensation of unshed tears welling in her eyes as she cleared her throat and drove all feelings out of her considerations. Glancing sidelong at him now, she whispered, "Have you sensed anything foreboding happening down on Earth?"

Gulping, Kami now began to sweat nervously. "Yes. I have…" he paused when she earnestly stared into his eyes with her crimson glare. "It's unlike anything I've felt before, but I can't place what it is. Can you tell me what it is?"

Frowning, she shook her head. "I'm sorry. I only asked because I wanted to make sure…well I need to make sure of things," she trailed off, not knowing how to really address the impending issue of yet ANOTHER Android – this time come from the very future Trunks was from – slithering about, waiting to make his move when everyone else least expected.

The anxiety about Cell's inevitable arrival had been weighing in the back of her mind for quite a while. The biologically engineered Android was already such a shock to the system for everyone when there was no 3rd party influence in the mix, and now with all the havoc from the sequence of events altering ever so slightly to require her intervention throughout the day, she was scared over just what it would mean once they were confronted with Cell. Would things get crazier? Would she have any hope of protecting the timeline as she knew it in the event something completely unforeseen occurred?

"You don't have to burden yourself, Sofia. We can help you when—" Kami began to comfort.

"It's not the simple though! I can't tell any of you too much because I could be screwing shit up worse! I've been trying to share just enough of things, but maybe that's just causing events to skitter off course, so maybe I should just keep my mouth shut the whole time—"

'Sofia, you're rambling,' the gentle telepathic retort caused her to focus back on Kami.

She sweatdropped, then flailed her arms above her head as she tossed her hair about and snapped goofily, "Dammit-dammit-dammit! I'm sorry—you're just trying to help and I'm spazzing out _again_ —!"

"It's quite alright. If you didn't doubt yourself, I would be a bit worried. After all, you're not an Android. You just played one for a bit," Kami jovially mused, smiling slyly at her when she blinked at him before grinning.

"Aaaah, so you've been watching all that, eh?" Sofia playfully winked at him and gave him a fangy grin.

"Of course! It was a pretty ingenious ploy. But, seeing how they reacted to discovering your guile, I just don't know if these particular Androids are as dangerous as Piccolo and the others think. If they were, surely they would've fatally defeated you all…" the guardian of Earth muttered, eyes becoming faraway as he pondered.

"Sigh…well…let's say—hypothetically—that you were right. They still do want to kill Goku. They're going in a roundabout way of pursuing that goal, but they definitely do intend to go Terminator on his ass," she drawled and rested her head in her hands as she cryptically added, "But…Sixteen, Seventeen and Eighteen are not who we should be worried about right now…"

Humming at that, Kami stood and placed his arms behind his back as he contemplated her. "Then that force I've felt is something worse…"

"Yes. Much worse. And it's only a matter of time before you and Piccolo have to come to terms with what has to be done…and as much as I want to warn him, I don't want to risk influencing his actions in a way that could screw up the chain of events," Sofia soberly explained, running her nails through the back of her hair before standing to whisper to Kami, "Truth be told…I was lying earlier. I…wanted to check on him too."

Smiling with a knowing twinkle in his dark eyes, Kami whispered cheekily, "He'd do the same if roles were reversed. Don't let his stubborn, boorish airs fool you."

Smirking at that, Sofia chimed, "He really lays it on thick when he acts all King Piccolo on everyone, but after the way he's been acting with me all day…I don't know." Shaking her head to clear her brooding thoughts away, she instead smirked wickedly as she changed the subject. "I guess since I wasn't around when he fused with Nail back on Namek, I wanted to be around for when you two fuse so I can go: "YES-YES-YES! I can do it! I can win, I feel amazing~!" right after, hahaha," Sofia joked comically as she used her best Piccolo impression and reenacted his exuberant and iconic reaction of fist pumping and posing triumphantly after having fused with Nail.

Kami stifled a silly chuckle at the mental picture of Piccolo cheering himself on and shouting in excitement at the green Namekian sky while Sofia continued to giggle.

Sobering quickly though, she began to fidget as she mused out loud, "It's been an insane day, and it's not even anywhere near being over yet. All day I've been trying not to lose my shit and still catch every little quirky change or random pivot of action that could blow stuff off progression. Dealing with that and Piccolo like, I don't know…I guess questioning my rationale when I can't tell him things to convince him I know what I'm doing? I just don't get why he's resisting me getting involved when that was the plan," Sofia sighed, continuing, "I guess coming up here…I just wanted to reassure myself and spend some time with him while Trunks—" pausing suddenly as her mind snapped to a stark reminder of a sequence of events she'd completely forgotten about, Sofia's eyes went wide as she whirled around and shouted, "Oh shit! Trunks and Gohan—I completely forgot!"

Startled by her sudden anxiety, Kami gripped his wooden staff as he inquired, "What's wrong?! Has something happened—"

"I can't BELIEVE I let myself spazz and pine over Piccolo and completely forgot they're not supposed to make it to Kame House yet!" Sofia rushed over to Kami as she pleaded, "Kami, can you reach out and see where they are for me? They should've all gotten to Goku's and gone en route to Master Roshi's, but Gohan and Trunks—well they're supposed to go do something else. I need to know if they're all still on the jet heading over together. Please…can you see where they are?"

"Uh, of course. Now, let me see…" Kami closed his eyes and reached out with his omnipresent abilities as guardian of the Earth. His mind's eye descended from the top of the Lookout to zoom down through the clouds, past Korin's Tower and out across the vast terrain and landscapes to hone in on the very unique ki signatures of the beings he sought. Seeing the Capsule Corp jet as it flew over the ocean, his mind's eye peered in and saw Yamcha piloting, then Chi-Chi and Krillin, an unconscious Goku, then honed in on Gohan and Trunks as they conversed about the theoretical physics of time travel. "…They're still in the aircraft with Goku and the others…just about a mile or so away from arriving at Kame House."

Sofia's shoulders stiffened. "Well…that's not too bad. They should reach out to Bulma soon for something. Is there any chance you can let me know if they've done so in the next 10 minutes or so?" she tentatively petitioned, her red eyes flickering with the anxiety she was desperately trying to submerge.

"I will. Anything I can do to help," Kami remarked with concentration as he kept his senses honed in.

Nodding, Sofia took the opportunity to sprint back out to the sprawling main courtyard and ran over to where Piccolo was, her heart pounding against her chest as the sudden thought rose in her worried mind.

_If they don't talk to Bulma, and head over to find out about the other time machine that Cell hatched out of, this could throw the entire sequence of events off and leave Piccolo without backup when he fights Cell in Gingertown…_

* * *

'You really have a knack for being a surly jerk for no reason, don't you,' Nail's telepathic huff was aloof, yet jabbing as he added, 'Are you that unable to not take out your frustrations on the people that care about you the most?'

Grinding his jaw as he tried to continue ignoring his counterpart, Piccolo stewed at having to sit around and wait for Kami to stop being a coward and just trust him about the serious repercussions of waiting and seeing.

'All day you're sniping at her about jumping in to intervene like that's not what she's been training for all this time. Then you're chastising her about the silliest things when you should just trust her judgment, but no,' Nail continued his assessment, muttering, 'And what's with all the Demon Lord business all of a sudden—'

'Augh! Why don't you just shut the hell up already?! Don't you see there are more pressing goddamn matters at the moment?!' Piccolo snapped venomously at Nail.

'All you're doing is sitting here in a sulk until Kami-sama decides to accept your fusing proposition. That's not really pressing, Piccolo,' the steely tenor of his drawl was baiting as he added, 'And seriously, were you getting jealous earlier?'

'What the HELL are you yammering about?' Piccolo snapped, feeling his left eye twitch in agitation.

'You know exactly what I'm referring to,' Nail replied simply.

'…I do not,' Piccolo grumbled, his surly tone unconvincing to his counterpart.

'If I were a betting Namekian, I would think you were close to shoving Trunks back to his future for simply letting his gaze linger on Sofia for too long,' the other Namek chimed knowingly. 'You do have a documented jealous streak—'

'Not liking Vegeta's leering stare on her did NOT make me jealous, and neither does noticing that kid's eyes lingering on her when she's distracted, so shut it, will yah?' Piccolo grunted.

'…So then why are you surly?' Nail ventured.

Scoffing dramatically, Piccolo shot resentfully, 'Because I'm PISSED OFF that she jumped in to battle opponents that're vastly stronger than her on three different occasions and almost got herself seriously hurt!' When the other Namekian didn't retort, he added harshly, 'Android 19 could've killed her and had Vegeta not swooped in like the smug bastard he is, I would've had to stand there and watch her die! There! Are yah happy?!'

'…is that all?' Nail cautiously inquired.

'NO! As a matter of fact, it fucking is NOT all! It's obvious Gero got the jump on her and Krillin after I SPECIFICALLY told them NOT to engage the sonuvabitch, and then next thing I know, she's fighting that snide punk of an Android that I couldn't even lay a punch on! It was like a damned game she was playing instead of treating them as a serious threat—'

'Maybe because she _knew_ the Android was playing a game,' Nail cut in, adding, 'She knew those three Androids did not intend to destroy anyone other than Goku, but maybe something went off track, and she needed to distract them and play along until Krillin recovered you and the others while simultaneously trying to guide the events back to where they were supposed to be. Fact is – you've been making a lot of assumptions. She is not recklessly going to jeopardize intervening in events when she's been obsessively worrying about her presence and possible influence over things for years, and you know it.'

Piccolo listened, letting the rationale sink in as he scowled and bowed his head. 'It's not like she can tell me either way when we're in the moment…'

'Yes, well, that's why there's only one thing you can do,' when Piccolo grunted for him to continue, Nail added disarmingly, 'Trust her.'

Grunting at that, Piccolo was about to retort, when he heard Sofia rushing over to him.

Turning, he quickly leapt up to his imposing height as soon as she was in arms length. "What's wrong—?"

"I fucked up and forgot something, and now I'm worried if it doesn't happen like it's supposed to, it could screw things up at a really dire moment," she anxiously explained, and for the first time, Piccolo really saw she was scared. "I came up here first, but I should've gone with the others to Goku's. It might not be anything, but…if something really simple doesn't happen within the timeframe it should, then I have to go and force it to happen, so—"

"Wait. What do you mean by forcing it to happen?" Piccolo interrupted, his scrutinizing gaze sharpening on her.

"Piccolo…I can't tell you," Sofia muttered between tense lips, brow crinkling at his demeanor towards her. "I want to tell you—"

"But you can't, I know," he cut in with a gravelly huff before glancing over her shoulder to see Kami rushing over as fast as he could. "But you told _him_ , right?"

Blinking at him, Sofia reached for him. "Why're you being like this? You're pissed off at me—?"

"I am _not_ , but if you keep telling me what I think and feel…" Piccolo snapped as he took her hand and held it away from his face when she went to cup his cheek. Managing to rein in his temper, he set his expression into a stoic mask as he stared into her fiery eyes. "I said I would help you, and I meant it. You're not letting me help though—instead you're just jumping in, without any regard for your safety," the usually brooding warrior groused sullenly, adding sharply, "Hastily intervening could do just as much damage. You need to be objective and smart about this, Sofia—"

Her brows furrowed in real anger now as she pulled her hand out of his grip and seethed, "Fine. Spare me the lecture! I was only warning you that I will have to go if—" she paused as Kami neared. Turning, she stared imploringly at him. When the sagacious guardian of Earth worriedly shook his head, Sofia felt a pang of fear course down her spine. Turning back to level her glare at her twin star, she stood defiantly before him as her hair whipped about in the breeze. "If I don't go and make sure this happens, then things could end up a lot worse than they're supposed to later. I don't give a damn if you're salty about me getting involved, or if you think I'm not being _smart_ about the way I'm tackling these issues, but so long as I can keep things on track and everyone _safe_ , I'm going to do it! And yes – that includes YOU," she declared resolutely, taking Piccolo off guard as she closed the short distance between them to wrap her arms around his neck before kissing him ardently on the lips.

Piccolo stiffened, and before he could recover to wrap his arms possessively around her and return the kiss, Sofia had stepped back, giving one last appraising look at her twin star before whispering over their rapport, 'I love you.' Turning, she dove off of the Lookout for direct course to her next destination.

Piccolo simply watched her propel herself through the afternoon sky with her preternatural speed, flummoxed by the fervor he'd seen in her eyes, and angry that there was nothing he could do to help her. Shooting a blistering glare at his elder half, he growled as he went back to watch her retreating contrail, "You better hope nothing happens to her while we're standing up here like fools while she goes and fights our battles, old man…"

* * *

'Gohan! Can you hear me?' Sofia was projecting telepathically with all her will, but was unable to reach her young friend over the distance. Jetting at a sonic speed across the sky, her glare narrowed further as she internally cursed. _Goddammit! I'm closer to Bulma's, but Krillin is supposed to call her and check in. She can't call them since she doesn't even know they're on a ship heading for Kame House. It'd be pointless going to Capsule Corp…_ she zoomed over the Western Capital and frowned as she blasted more ki into her aura to fuel the energy she needed to push her speed full throttle. _Cell could be finishing off Gingertown right now and head off unchecked to another town before being discovered._ She thought about maybe asking Kami to reach out to Krillin, but she knew she shouldn't distract him either, as he and Piccolo would be preparing to fuse.

_Piccolo…what the hell is going on? He said he trusted me, but he's done anything BUT trust me today!_ Sofia seethed as she barreled through the sky; hands clenched tightly into fists at her sides as she admonished herself for letting her personal issues distract her again. Shoving the angst and resentment she felt aside, she instead concentrated on reaching out with her mind to sense for Gohan over the distance that still separated her from the group taking Goku to Master Roshi's island. Her senses reached out like a homing beam that sussed out all the extraordinary life forces around her until it locked onto the unique ki signature and shone brightly in the back of her mind. "There he is!"

Finding his location, she followed the direction her senses pointed to his aura being and gained on their airship just as they began their descent towards Kame House. _Crap!_ She cursed as she zoomed to fall in formation with the ship and glanced over into the cockpit window at Yamcha, who of course, was unable to sense her, so when he noticed her appear over at his 9 o'clock, shouted in startled surprise.

"Holy hell—! Sofia's here, guys," the scar-faced fighter called over his shoulder, and as Sofia gestured that she was going to follow them down for a landing, Krillin, Trunks and Gohan crowded behind Yamcha to stare at her.

"Uh-oh…she does not look happy," Krillin muttered tensely, exchanging a worried look with Trunks as Yamcha landed the air ship and switched the hanger door to whirl open and lower the ramp.

In a flash, Sofia phased with her unnatural quickness—startling even the other extraordinary fighters at the speedy skill that seemed to be unique to her—and was turning Krillin in his co-pilot chair and barking in the former monk's face, "HAVE YOU CALLED BULMA YET?!"

"Gaaaaaah!" Krillin shouted in shock and leaned back into the seat as he saw that ominous and unnerving aura enveloping her as her crimson eyes flashed dangerously at him. "Wha-wha-whaat?! Bulma?"

"What's going on, Sofia?! Did something happen to Bulma—?" Gohan began to inquire when she snarled in impatience and reached over for the radio receiver on the console and pulled it over.

Holding it out to Krillin, she snapped, "Do me a favor and call Bulma. Right. Now."

Sweating and staring at her with the mortified tension etched under his eyes, Krillin gulped and nodded vigorously as he rambled, "OkI'llcallrightnow!"

Satisfied, Sofia whirled around and exhaled before rushing past everyone out of the ship to appear in front of the iconic Turtle Hermit, who's jaw was practically hanging to the ground as he ogled Sofia's curvy form and exposed, lithe belly due to her tattered and worn hemline having ridden up her torso. _Hubba-hubba-hubbaaaa!_ The lecherous Master Roshi mentally drooled as Sofia suddenly bowed in respect, giving him a peek at her bountiful cleavage.

"I'm sorry for just coming uninvited and rushing through the proper introductions, Master Roshi, but I'm Sofia and I totally know your staring at my boobs, but I really need you to check something for me," Sofia declared in a rush of stream of consciousness as she grabbed the legendary fighter's shoulders and leaned in close to stare determinedly into his sunglass-covered eyes.

"Anything for a beautiful, fierce sprite like you, toots, hehehehe—" the leering bearded master nodded avidly as he smiled almost toothlessly at her.

"Turn on the TV and find news reports about Gingertown for me? If you do it right now without wasting any time on your dirty old man tricks, I promise to come back some other time and lay out on your beach in the most skimpiest swimsuit you've ever seen," Sofia offered in a hurry, knowingly, causing Trunks, Gohan, Chi-Chi and Yamcha—who had rushed off the ship to watch the odd exchange—to face-fault into the sand.

With happy tears brimming over his sunglasses as he cackled joyfully at the glorious proposition, Master Roshi spun and zoomed into his home directly for the TV and began skimming through the channels as he shouted out, "I'm right on it, good-lookin'!"

Wearily scoffing, Sofia turned on her heel and stalked back over at the others and snapped, "Did Krillin call Bulma yet?!"

"Uh-yeah! He's on hold until the operator connects him to Bulma's direct line," Gohan explained, eyes wide with shock at Sofia's tattered attire and irascible expression.

"Good," she muttered as she walked back up the ramp and gestured for them to follow her with a wave of her hand over her shoulder.

When Krillin saw her come back towards him, he for a minute forgot what he was doing, so when Bulma suddenly shouted, "Krillin! Where the hell have you guys been?! Is everyone ok? Where are you calling from? Is Gohan and my mysterious son from the future with you? Tell me everything!" the former monk practically jumped out of his skin and almost dropped the receiver.

Cringing, Trunks and Krillin nervously looked at Sofia, and when she gestured impatiently for them to engage in the conversation with Bulma, Krillin cleared his throat and answered, "Yeah – we're all here. We went to Goku's to move him and everyone to Kame House to hide out from the Androids until he recovers. Gohan's fine, and Trunks is right here. What's going on?"

"Oh good. I'd been trying to call the house, and when no one answered, I started to get worried. Anyway, can you put Trunks on the line?" Bulma replied.

"You're on speaker, Bulma, so he can hear you. Go right ahead," Krillin answered.

"Yeah, uh-hey mom…" Trunks cautiously spoke up, tense and nervous.

"Hey…so listen. A few days ago, a team of Capsule Corp land surveyors were contacted by a guy who lives out in the boondocks west from here about some weird abandoned vehicle he found that he wanted to claim. The trouble is, he didn't know how to start it up, so he contacted them to see if there were instructions they could send him. Our people asked him what the vehicle's model number was, and he said he couldn't find one. So they went out there after he swore it had a Capsule Corp logo on it, and the team took a photo to send to the head office for further investigation. Long story short, I have the photo in front of me, and I'm pretty sure this is Trunks' time machine. And it's showing some major signs of wear and tear—" Bulma's explanation was cut off by Trunks after he balked and sifted into his jacket pocket.

"That's impossible! I have my time machine right here. See? Its condensed into capsule form," Trunks opened the capsule case and showed it to everyone.

Sofia sighed silently to herself, nodding to Trunks that she believed him as Krillin repeated it to Bulma.

"That's odd…it's just uncanny. The one in the photo is covered in moss and in an overgrown area like it's been there for a while, but otherwise it's a dead-ringer for yours. Is it possible that my future self cranked out more than one of these?" Bulma inquired.

"No. She was barely able to find the materials to make the one," Trunks responded.

"That's really bizarre…then that makes this the exact same machine you traveled in to get here. I'm positive about it," Bulma reasoned, adding, "Here—let me send you the photo so you can see for yourself."

Once Bulma faxed the photo over and Krillin handed it over to Trunks, the lavender-haired demi-Saiyan was flummoxed. "Whoa—she's absolutely right. This is the same machine I came here in…no question. But, what the hell—how could this be? Does she know the exact location where this thing was found?"

Krillin relayed the question back to Bulma, who responded, "Not precisely, but based on the postmark, it's in the West District 1050, out in the hills. You heading over to check it out?"

"Yes…I have to see it for myself," Trunks huffed tersely.

"Cool. I'd like to come too, if you don't mind!" Bulma chirped over the line, earning a tense reaction from Trunks and the others.

"Uhhh, sure," Trunks responded warily.

"Great! Meet you there," Bulma signed off, leaving the cabin in the ship tense as everyone turned to stare at Sofia suddenly.

She'd been staring thoughtfully at Goku's countenance, sensing his tumultuously stressed psyche, when she glanced back at the others once Yamcha cleared his throat and asked, "Uh, Trunks? Are you sure there's only one time machine?"

"I'm positive," the fighter muttered, his gaze lingering on Sofia as she went over to kneel next to Goku.

"Is it ok if I tag along too? I really want to check this out," Gohan asked Trunks, earning Chi-Chi's admonishing attention.

Before the raven-haired woman could go on her harangue and Gohan could cajole her into letting him go, Oolong suddenly ran over from the house and shouted up from the bottom of the air ship's ramp, "You guys better come see this!"

Rushing from Goku's side to phase down the ramp and into the house, Sofia came to stand next to a nervous Master Roshi as he watched the news report about the dangerous happenings at Gingertown, where the populace had all but disappeared and the streets were littered with discarded clothing, as if everyone had been raptured out of existence. Then he reported that wails and gunfire could be heard from a distance before the entire area went deathly quiet.

The others rushed in just in time to see the news anchor on scene disappear in a scuffle of static and screams before the camera was violently thrown to the ground and then the feed went eerily quiet. When the TV station cut away back to the anchor in the studio, Sofia turned and glowered, clenching her fists at her sides as she tersely declared, "Things are thrown off slightly…"

Trunks knew something really bad was happening now. "How far off?"

"To the point where the scouting of the other time machine has to wait. Gohan," Sofia glanced over at her friend. "I need you to go and cut off Bulma at the pass before she gets too close to that area. You and she should come back here and wait until further notice."

Gohan nodded, seeing how serious she was and feeling there was no time to argue. "Right. I'll be back later, mom," the demi-Saiyan rushed out the door and blasted off for direct course to the airspace Bulma would take to arrive at their pre-arranged coordinates.

"Wait a minute!" Chi-Chi tried to argue, but Gohan was already jetting through the sky before she could stop him. Angry, the formidably overbearing woman whirled around and stomped right over to Sofia as she was about to start explaining to Trunks what they would do next. "Gohan should NOT be going out into a dangerous situation! Just call Bulma and tell her to go back—"

Sofia's patience finally splintered as her temper flared outwards and caused the wooden beach house to tremble from her telekinetic turbulence. Baring her fangs, she hissed, " _Do you think I_ WANT _Gohan to get hurt_?! I care about him and Goku! If there was a way to get ahold of Bulma now, I'd take it, but she's on her way and unless she got a news alert in her hovercar on the way there, she may not be expecting to get caught up in aftershocks from what's going to go down in Gingertown any minute!"

Chi-Chi froze in her place, eyes wide and mouth agape in shock, disarmed by how Sofia's usually goofily ominous aura was now truly teeming with fury as her eyes glowed a darker shade of red than normal. "I-I—" she stammered before the weight of Sofia's rancorous gaze made her clamp her mouth shut.

Oolong was practically hiding under the table while Master Roshi cringed at the sight, leaving Yamcha, Krillin and Trunks to silently balk at the fearsome woman as she slowly began to rein in her rage. The anger steaming off of her from her aura as it cooled down rapidly, Sofia shook her rancor off and centered herself before turning away from Chi-Chi to muster between clenched teeth, "I love you guys…I don't want anything bad to ever happen to any of you…but there's only so much I can stop and prevent. I know you don't believe me…but I'm trying."

With that, Sofia rushed out of the house, and into the air ship, where she used her telekinetic abilities to lift an unconscious Goku, bedroll and all, out and into the house before placing him gently upstairs to rest in Master Roshi's quarters.

When she came back down the stairs, she avoided eye contact with Chi-Chi and gave Trunks a sharp glance for him to follow her. The lavender-haired fighter did so, sweating nervously as the others were left to stew in the uncertain confusion of what was occurring.

As he reached the sandy shore, he stared at her back while she seemed to be focusing telepathically. He knew some of the warriors were able to communicate over telepathic rapport, but had never experienced it himself. Gohan had once told him how he and Piccolo were able to communicate telepathically, so Trunks now wondered whom she could be reaching out to in this moment when she suddenly turned to stare sidelong at him.

"I'm sorry I'm doing such a shit job at this, Trunks, but I really need your help. I'll explain as much as I can on the way, and afterwards, we'll head over to the site with the other time machine, I promise," Sofia declared. Trunks saw the turmoil flash subtly through in her crimson eyes, but it was submerged quickly when she glanced away as she added, "We gotta go."

Nodding curtly, Trunks muttered, "Right. Let's go. I got your back."

Bowing her head, Sofia took to the air and was quickly followed by Trunks before they both blasted off at full speed for direct course to Gingertown.

Watching from the open door, the others were nonplussed, until Yamcha looked over at Krillin and sardonically huffed, "Ok, why was she scarier than being toe-to-toe with an actual Android?! C'mon—it's not just me that felt that, right?"

Rubbing the back of his head with a weary scoff, Krillin's eyes became comical sarcastic dots as he drawled flatly to his friend, "Dude, she willingly sought and was trained by Piccolo—if she wasn't a little scary, it'd be weird."

Eyes trembling with unshed tears, Chi-Chi turned and ran up the stairs to be by Goku's side, but not before a sob caught in the back of her throat in front of her husband's friends and they felt her sobering distress at having her husband out of commission while their only child rushed into danger.

"My goodness…I wish there was more we could do, but I fear an old coot like me wouldn't be much help in this," Master Roshi frowned and went back over to sit in front of the TV so he and Oolong could continue the vigil of news reports.

"Man, I feel awful," Yamcha muttered, catching Krillin's attention when the former monk was about to join the others. "Chi-Chi let her have it back at Goku's, and I completely forgot about it—I mean all the craziness pushed it to the back burner, so now after she reacted like that, I guess I can't blame her for how hurt she was—"

"What happened? Chi-Chi said something to her, like before?" Krillin inquired.

Whispering, Yamcha confirmed, "Yeah. She was irate about Goku being in pain from the heart virus, and she accused Sofia of not having done everything she could to stop Goku from getting sick…"

"Oh man…that's rough. Damn," Krillin frowned, crossing his arms and furrowing his brows as he added, "All day we've been begging Sofia to give us an advantage, but she can't. Not without risking creating an alternate series of events that could be even worse than what's supposed to happen. Obviously if she could've warned Goku to take his medicine, she would've…"

"I saw it, man. She was so hurt when Chi-Chi yelled at her. This whole time, I figured her for a smartass, but I think she really cares about all of us—"

"Easy now, Yamcha. I don't think that applies to you, remember?" Krillin suddenly joked, earning a sweatdrop and silly laugh from the former desert bandit.

"Hah, yeah, but at least I know not to get on her bad side ever again after this—" he chortled.

"Oh trust me—any woman who decides to hang in our circle is probably someone you should try to stay on their good side with. Always," Krillin chimed, adding quickly, "Plus unlike Chi-Chi or Bulma, she can probably punch us into the next dimension, hehehe…heh…I'm glad she's on our side."

While the TV continued to report on the distressing happenings at Gingertown, the landline phone suddenly began to ring, spooking everyone in the room to turn and stare at the phone. Krillin cut the tension by being the one to run over and pick up the receiver.

"Hello? Kame House; Krillin speaking," he answered. Slowly, his eyes went wide and he grunted in panic in the back of his throat.

* * *

Meanwhile, Piccolo was irately arguing with Kami after receiving Sofia's telepathic message.

_*I'm too late! Something is already attacking and if you don't fuse with Kami now, it could disappear and find its next target. Please, Piccolo…this is as much as I can say, but I need you both to settle things ASAP!*_

Scowling as Kami still hesitated, Piccolo finally impatiently bellowed, "Sofia said this is what needs to be done! If you don't want to take my word for it, do you not believe her?! This is the time to do it, so fuse with me now before more people die, dammit!"

Finally bowing under the pressure and Piccolo's withering glare, Kami relented. "I've been the Guardian of Earth for over 300 years, and today is the first time I've felt true, bone numbing dread. Too many people will perish under this horrific, monstrous force…" the benevolent elder shook with temerity as he finally declared, "We shall fuse and become one once again. You will inherit all my long-acquired knowledge, and my power will be yours. Once merged, you will see the horror that's befalling the Earth below."

"Oh, don't do it, Kami! Without a guardian—"

Mr. Popo's plea was cut short once Kami turned to him and sighed, "It's alright, my loyal friend. What the Earth needs now is a warrior, not an overseer. I am too old and weary to be anything else but absorbed so that Piccolo can move on and defend the innocent, and save everyone before it's too late. Thank you for all your years of service and friendship, Mr. Popo. I have made my peace."

Turning to his younger, stronger, and brasher half, Kami nodded for Piccolo to begin the forbidden technique. "Let's get one more thing straight – I will be in charge. I will not defer to you, understood?" Piccolo declared, earning a grunt of affirmation from Kami.

"Your power far exceeds mine, so of course…it's only fair," Kami answered, resolutely. "Since you're to be the foundation, place your hand upon me."

Once Piccolo did so, Kami and Piccolo began to fuse, heralding a new being that was stronger and more centered. As the glowing aura dissipated around this new fused Namekian, Mr. Popo trembled under the weight of said new being's aura and energy level. He watched as the Earth's newly minted savior turned to leave, but was surprised when he paused and offered reassuringly over his weighted-caped shoulder, "Farewell, old friend," before he went to the edge of the Lookout, and set off to the sky for direct course to his target.

In the back of the circuitous conscious labyrinth that had become the central bridge in which the separated psyches of Piccolo and Nail were housed, the fusion now caused the bridging to be a cacophony of memories, thoughts and beings that would take some time to untangle and become independent, yet cooperative wings of separate consciousness once again. The three Namekian psyches were an amalgam currently, with no one identity being able to stand out from the others yet.

The metaphysical disruption caused by the fusion would have repercussions that neither this Super Namekian or his twin star were prepared to handle, but would be forced to resolve or risk rupturing their bond irreparably forever.

* * *

As Sofia and Trunks neared the outskirts of the Western city of Gingertown, both could sense as incrementally the life forces of its citizens seemed to dim before disappearing altogether from their sensing. For a while, they had flown in silence, until Sofia had glanced over at Trunks at the reminder that this flight had been meant for him alone, until the newly Super Namek Piccolo had gotten to the scene and began fighting Imperfect Cell. Krillin would've joined Trunks halfway to the site, but now, with everything so off kilter, it was she who was heading to the site with Trunks. _The poor guy doesn't even know what we're about to face…_

She also recognized that with things having gone off track, Trunks and Gohan did not have the insight required as a foundational block for the upcoming skirmish, and by having to visit the site of the other time machine AFTER fighting Cell for the first time, Gohan hasn't gleaned more insight from Trunks on how dire things are for him and the survivors of the Androids in his time.

"I'm sorry for not being better prepared to handle this."

Trunks had been focused on the distance ahead of them, so he had to blink and glance over at her to make sure he'd heard her right. "What?"

"You and Gohan should've gone to where the other time machine's at, but instead you're going into something you're not supposed to be involved in yet, and I just don't know if I'm making the right calls here…" Sofia huffed her anxious stream of consciousness, digging her nails into her palms to curb the impulse to say anymore.

His blue eyes softened at seeing the palpable struggle she was trying to keep locked in. "That's exactly how I felt when I came to warn Goku. I knew what was supposed to happen, so when things fell out of the sequence they were supposed to occur in, I intervened," he paused when Sofia directed her wide, crimson gaze at him. "Since I came back to this time, I can't help feel like every call I've made up to this point has just made things so much more worse…but I trust you, Sofia. I know it's not going to help you second guess yourself less, but I believe you're doing your best, and will back you up whenever and however I can."

Taken aback by his resolute, steely declaration, Sofia found herself feeling disarmed and assured, all at once. "I…thanks, Trunks. I've been feeling sorta alone in this, but you just reminded me not to be so conceited—"

"Huh?!" Trunks interrupted, and began comically waving his hands fretfully at that. "I didn't mean it like that!"

Giggling, Sofia waved his fretting off as she retorted, "I only meant that you're worried about the exact same things, and I shouldn't forget that you're risking just as much in making sure things don't get a lot worse. Thanks, man."

She smiled serenely at him, and Trunks diverted his bashful gaze and muttered, "Don't mention it."

Totally unaware of the affect she had on the lavender-haired fighter, Sofia turned her worrying inward. _Sigh…I gotta stop forgetting about how the others feel. I'm sure Piccolo is testy because he feels like he's not contributing…_ She internally admonished herself. _I gotta stop thinking about stuff that's definitely gotta wait until AFTER all of this is done and resolved. It's unbelievable as something as simple as a missed reminder could derail shit this bad—_

"Is something wrong? Well—you know, besides everything," Trunks stirred her from her pondering as they flew at quick rate still.

Snickering cynically, she smirked. "Funny. It's a bit ironic, but yeah, I guess there's a lot that's just been tossed up in the air and scrambled things as far as I know them to supposed to happen into an even more screwed up outcome. I'm just thinking of how something as simple as Yamcha not MENTIONING to Krillin that he should call and check in with your mom could cause such a domino effect," she sarcastically chuckled, the humor not reaching her crimson eyes, though. "As if I needed _another_ reason to think Yamcha is just the most asinine muthaf—!"

Stopping dead in her tracks, Sofia froze at the overpowering sensation of chaos that flashed across her psyche, tugging sharply against her telepathic rapport with Piccolo until it felt like raucous, explosive thunder roared in her mind's eye. "Ahh!" she shouted and gripped the sides of her skull against the psychic turbulence.

"Sofia! Are you ok?!" Trunks caught her from wavering out of flight.

Shaking off the sensation of delirium, she focused her wide-eyed gaze at him. "Oh no…oh no-no-no…" she breathed as she tried to make sense of what she was feeling. _OH MY GOD! Was that—holy shit, was that how it feels when Piccolo fuses with Kami?! WAIT! How are they JUST fusing?! That means he's just going to leave the Lookout NOW?!_

"What's happened?! Should we go back and get the others—?" Trunks shook her shoulders and squeezed her upper arms when she focused her wild stare back onto him.

"…No. We gotta get to Gingertown, right now!" she declared in a rattled shout and blasted off at full speed, leaving Trunks startled in her wake before he followed suit. 'Piccolo! Can you hear me?' she shouted over their rapport, but could not feel the distinct connection tugging to life that signaled he was tuned in. 'PICCOLO!' she attempted once more, and found only silence. "Fuck!" she cursed to herself as she allowed her ki to boil over in order to envelope her with the aura that would blast energy into her contrail and propel her faster to clear the terrain of mossy hills that peaked before revealing the sprawling valley that was the home of the besieged Gingertown.

Flipping to land in a feline crouch after extinguishing her ki and speed, she scanned her keen gaze across the city from the perch on the rooftop she'd landed on. She could smell the smoldering smoke from fired weapons, exhaust, and the acrid scent of burning rubber from the car fires that were dotting the town. Her eyes focused like a hawk's as they surveyed the furthest corners of the city while she attempted to sense out whether Piccolo was close to arriving.

Trunks descended from the sky and landed right next to her, shocked by the eerie state the town was in. "What the—there's no one left?"

Sofia ignored his question as she concentrated on trying to hone in on Piccolo's energy. Suddenly, a turbulent ping lit the back of her mind like a flashing light directly into a sensitive retina, causing her to wince and grit her teeth. _Jesus…is that him?! His energy is amazing!_ Sofia marveled before realizing the distance between said ki signature and them was still a whiles away. _Oh for fuck's sake…why is shit so off now?! I can't believe I miscalculated shit this much!_

She growled to herself before hopping off the ledge to descend gracefully to the ground. Trunks followed along, landing beside her and walking with her as she loped through the main avenue of the city. "Trunks…a lot is sort of not happening according to plan, and I'm not going to lie…it's freaking me the fuck out," Sofia tensely quipped to the lavender-haired fighter, earning a tense stare from him.

"Well, I'm in the same boat as you, so I guess we at least can take comfort that we're both feeling shitty about our prospects," Trunks sardonically grumbled. Sofia stopped and blinked incredulously at him. "What?" he asked of her stare.

"Wow, I guess I've just never heard you swear before!" she piped in wonder, smiling. "Oh crap, I hope it's not cuz I'm a shitty influence…crappy influence, I mean," she sweatdropped and scratched the back of her head comically.

"N-no! Not at all. Don't be silly!" Trunks rambled goofily, adding, "I'm not a little kid, you know. I curse. I mean hell, you _know_ who my parents are, right?"

Snorting at that, Sofia giggled, "Oh, damn. Good point, haha."

"Well…is it just me, or is it really dead here, and there's nothing we can sense to explain what exactly caused all this?" Trunks mused soberly, his steely gravel taking on an edge when he noticed the discarded outfit of a little girl, and the teddy bear missing a button eye left next to the clothes.

"We'll sense it once it wants to reveal itself. See, the thing is…don't freak out, but, the creature that's responsible for this? You were supposed to find out about it when you investigated that other time machine out in the sticks that Bulma told us about. And—well—Piccolo is supposed to be here instead of us right now—" she explained before cutting herself off when she heard the telltale metal-pinching-metal-like-scrape effect that was caused by said creature's skulking movements.

Turning to stare down a dark alley, Sofia tensed as she heard the characteristic sound coming closer. Trunks was staring as well, and went from wary to downright shaken when the creature emerged from the shadows, with a victim being dragged in its grasps.

_Shit. It's fugly Cell…_

Sofia gulped, training her features into a stoic regard; feeling her mouth go dry as she and Trunks were now confronted with the real threat of this saga, and there was nothing she could think of doing other than stalling until Piccolo could arrive and pick up the sequence of events as they were supposed to unfold.

The man struggling in Cell's grasp began to beg and plead for help, and Sofia knew there wasn't anything she could do, but still felt compelled to try. "Well, finally—you showed up, buddy!"

Blinking at that, Trunks glanced sidelong at her before staring back in frozen shock at the cicada-like monster towering before them.

Gurgling in his gravelly rasp, Cell stared at Sofia for a long beat before slithering his predatory eyes over at Trunks. _Ah, Trunks is here. How annoying. Why such a feeble, imperfect thing would be allowed to live in any timeline is beyond me,_ the bioengineered Android thought before licking his lipless muzzle of a mouth as he bore his stare back on the odd woman that had acknowledged him. The breeze picked up slightly, tussling her long bangs to whip behind her shoulders and reveal her hoop-shaped earrings hanging from each earlobe. Cataloging that, Cell dropped the begging snack from his grasp and tilted his head slightly as he contemplated her.

"Ah, c'mon. Don't tell me Dr. Gero didn't program the computer in your time with a file on me," Sofia drawled confidently, crossing her arms and leaning her weight onto one hip as she matched his demeanor by cocking her head to the same side as his.

_Dr. Gero?! What in the world—?!_ Trunks thought to himself as he remained frozen in his spot.

Eyes slithering up and down her frame, Cell gargled a gravelly grunt as he swung his tail languidly behind him. "…You're quite knowledgeable. Who are you? Could you be an Android? I cannot register a power level from you," Cell gnarled out, his voice betraying intrigue.

"Well that settles it. Your Dr. Gero wasn't as enterprising as the doc from my time. Quite lame. Anyway," Sofia continued to stall with her ruse as she sensed Piccolo was finally nearing the site. "I know why you're here, and that you're sort of in a transitional period, but really, you're gonna eat that? What's the nutritional value of that human? He clearly doesn't eat well, and you know what they say…"

"Hrrmph, what's that?" Cell asked, still intrigued.

"You are what you eat," Sofia replied simply, loping over to stare at Cell and smile in his face as she picked up the man from the back of his blazer collar and lifted him up effortless. "Eating western is just consuming empty calories. Maybe you should give easterners a try," she jovially drawled before shoving the man aside and sneering at him, for effect.

"While I am magnanimous enough of a being to admit I'm intrigued, I do have to question your allegiances, seeing as you have that annoying punk Trunks in tow," Cell drawled and peered over at Trunks when he spat his name derisively.

"Ah, c'mon. Why would anyone that's NOT one of Dr. Gero's creations already know about you, Cell."

"Hrmph," the creature stared dangerously at her. "Why would any of Dr. Gero's creations allow this petri dish to live, let alone stand at their side?" Cell suspiciously shot back, and grunted when Sofia sighed and loped away dismissively so while he wasn't looking, she could shoot the cowering man a look that screamed 'get the hell out of here already!' while also glaring over at Trunks with a look that said 'play along.'

"Well, because this timeline does not have exactly what you need, and we might need him to coordinate his version of the time machine to take both of us to another time that _will_ have what you need in order to become…perfect," she spoke serenely and phased to stand next to Trunks; gripping the back of his neck, firmly. Shocked, Cell watched as she purred to the lavender-haired fighter, "Now, remember what I said, Trunksy: you do as you're told, and the parents that are still alive here will stay that way. Don't do as your told, and I'll exterminate them myself."

Staring wide-eyed at her from the corner of his eye, Trunks gritted his teeth and spat, "You-you have my mother and infant self hostage, you monster. I'll do whatever to prevent you from ruining this time as well!"

Sofia internally exhaled in relief. _God I'm glad he takes after both his parents,_ she thought goofily as she pulled her lips into the dastardliest version of a smirk she could muster.

"See? Keep 'em under your thumb, and you're golden, Cell," Sofia scathingly drawled as she raised a delicate brow at the towering creature, who seemed pleased as he chuckled along.

"Enterprising, indeed. So what—are Seventeen and Eighteen already gone in this time too—?"

"SOFIA!"

Freezing, everyone paused and turned to watch as Gohan appeared from the northeast, jetting across the sky to descend rapidly and land across from them and furthest away from the man that was still too terrified to run away.

'Gohan! What're you doing here?!' Sofia hollered telepathically at him and snarled. 'GET OUT OF HERE, NOW!'

'Whaaa—?!'

"Hrmph, isn't that Son Gohan? Why's he alive…and Sofia, was it?" Cell spat, tail whipping agitatedly behind him as he grunted in thought. "Dr. Gero would _never_ allow a creation to keep its organic namesake…" the bioengineered monster gnarled out before trailing off in a knowing, dubious growl at her. "What an audacious little liar you are! And how DARE you try and fool me—the most powerful being you feeble mortals could _ever_ hope to be annihilated by!?"

"Dammit," Trunks grumbled as he and Sofia dropped the ruse and leapt away to fall into stance next to Gohan. "It was working pretty well too…"

"Yeah, well, what can I say? Androids see the dangly earrings and believe anything," Sofia huffed wryly, adding as an aside, "You'd think Gero programmed them to think he held the patent on freaking hoop earrings," and resumed trying to hide that she was sweating. "Ok, so when I say so, Imma need you two to get the hell out of here and NOT try and fight this fugly-ass dude, oka—?"

Sofia's snarky order was interrupted by the enthralling and stupefying arrival of the newly fused Piccolo. His landing caused the atmosphere to reverberate and the breeze to kick up violently around them until his aura died down. He landed exactly between the three fighters and the vicious monster that he'd felt consuming the innocent people of the town. Glaring over his padded shoulder and cape at them, Piccolo focused on Sofia as he barked, "Get out of here. Now."

'Piccolo, can you hear me?' she attempted telepathically again, and got nothing back. Frowning, she grabbed the back of Gohan's puffy collar, and gestured for Trunks to follow her lead before using her preternatural speed to phase and leap away to a safer distance.

Once they were all out of the danger zone, she let go of the back of Gohan's collar and whirled to kneel down and glower at him. "What the hell were you thinking, man!? You were supposed to meet up with Bulma and get back to Kame House—!"

"But I never found Bulma. I looked all over the airspace she should've used to head to where we agreed, but she never came. I was going to backtrack, but then I felt something weird coming this way," Gohan exclaimed in a rush of words. "So I came to make sure something else didn't change, but I guess I sorta interrupted you guys…" the young fighter pouted, earning a glossy eyed look from Sofia before she relented in her chastising demeanor.

Pulling Gohan in for a hug, Sofia sighed, "You scared me, that's all. I don't want anything to happen to you, kid."

Returning her hug with enthusiasm, Gohan grunted as he tried to suppress the welling of tears in the backs of his eyes. Watching the touching display, Trunks smiled to himself before being snapped back to the reality of the action that was just about to go down.

"Shouldn't we go and help Piccolo? If that monster is as bad as you say, we need to throw everything we got at him, don't we?" Trunks ruminated as he watched from the distance.

"Eh, I agree with you, but for the time being…this is something Piccolo has to tackle on his own…but the moment we have to intervene, we will," Sofia responded coolly, still nervous that there was too much off track now for things to revert successfully to the sequence they were supposed to occur in.

Earning a curt nod in understanding from Trunks, they all watched from their vantage point up on a hotel roof that was across from the avenue Piccolo and Cell were facing off on.

_One way or another, I'm going to make sure nothing else goes off the rails today…_

* * *

Meanwhile, while the others were converged in Gingertown, Krillin was rushing at full speed across the sky, desperately trying to reach the coordinates Bulma had given him. Following the GPS, he banked a hard left and began to descend, his mind flustered with the idea that there were surges of stupefying energy undulating across the distances from not very far from his friend's location.

As he neared the site, he peered down at the lush green terrain, frantically trying to spot a sign of her before he heard a distinct shout from over yonder.

"Hey, Krillin! Over here!"

Glancing down, Krillin saw the Capsule Corp heiress waving him down from the top of her parked hovercar.

"Bulma! Are you freaking CRAZY?!" Krillin shouted down at her before extinguishing his speed and flipping to land to the grassy ground in front of her. "I cannot BELIEVE you would be insane enough to come out here, after _seeing_ the reports—!"

"Ugh, take it easy, Krillin! I went around the long way to avoid going near Gingertown. What's the big deal?" Bulma huffed as she hopped down to the ground in front of him.

"I told you! Trunks and Sofia headed straight to Gingertown and Gohan went out to find you. Did you miss him?" the former monk groused as Bulma rolled her eyes and began walking towards the coordinates of the abandoned time machine.

"No, I didn't see him, but he probably headed back, right?" Bulma reasoned as she pushed past a leafy thicket to find the moss-covered time machine. "Oh wow, here it is!"

"Bulma, we can't stay here! It's too dangerous—"

"When _isn't_ it?!" Bulma whirled around and snapped at him. "Besides, if something crazy is happening over there, we got to get this time machine out of here so it doesn't get damaged."

"Look at it, though! I doubt it's in any condition to be used again anyway," Krillin grumbled and walked around the aircraft, poking at it dubiously. "We should take it and just go—"

From the vast distance, a low hum seemed to freeze the air around them before it burst into a turbulent pulse of violent air currents that caused the terrain to waver and jostle around them before the ground below them shook forcefully and sent them down for cover.

"Aaaaah! What's going on?!" Bulma wailed in a panic as she grabbed the stirrup of the time machine that was close enough to her while Krillin leapt up in the air to hover and peer across the terrain in direction of where the blast came from.

"It came from Gingertown. And…holy crap," Krillin croaked as he swore he was sensing the power levels of Frieza, King Cold, then Goku before the ki signature shifted to that of Vegeta's and even Piccolo's. "I-I-I don't know what's going on, but it feels really bad!"

* * *

"You finally decided to show yourself, you monster."

Piccolo glared at the lean, hulking cicada-like create before him, sneering when instead of fear, the monster began to chuckle at him.

From atop of the hotel roof they were currently on, Sofia could hear Cell's arrogant response. As he baited Piccolo into their impending battle, she realized this would be the only time to get Gohan and Trunks away from the fray.

"Guys…I need you both to listen to me," she mused in a low tone, eyes still fixed on the two facing off in the avenue below. When Trunks and Gohan stared tensely at her, she continued. "I can only assume that Bulma heard the reports on the news and either went right back to Capsule Corp, or decided to rush to the abandoned time machine's location outside the city limits. She could be out there on her own, and shit is about to get real here. When I say go, I need you both to lower your power levels to a point they cannot be sensed and get out of here."

"What?! We're not going to leave you here," Trunks argued.

"Yeah! It's too dangerous—!" Gohan began to protest.

"Now you listen to me," Sofia growled in a measured tone and gave them both sharp glances before continuing. "You will go when I tell you to, because Bulma could get hurt out there, and there should still be some wiggle room for you both to investigate the time machine and get the hell out of there with Bulma—if she's there— and get to safety. Once she's out of the fray and the other time machine is secured, you can head right back here. Understood!?"

Gulping, Gohan nodded curtly, while Trunks still hesitated.

"No. This isn't right. You should come with us then," the lavender-haired fighter reasoned.

Shaking her head, Sofia snapped, "I have to stay and make sure things don't get worse! Please…just trust me."

With that, Trunks set his jaw and nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, Piccolo tried to get the monster to reveal its identity and goals, but instead, Cell tried to play mind games and evade the questioning, thinking he had Piccolo pegged and would easily absorb the Namekian warrior without much effort.

Just when Piccolo was about to wipe the smug look off of the ugly creature's muzzled face, the corpulent man that Cell had intended to be his final townie snack finally realized he needed to escape. When he bumbled up to his feet and tried to make a run for it, Cell lashed his tail outward and tripped the man to violently land on the ground. "Pl-please! Help me!" he shouted in Piccolo's direction, begging him to get him to safety, before Cell unceremoniously hushed his pleas by plunging his tail's stinger into his back before beginning to absorb the man out of existence, leaving only his clothes in his wake.

Horrified, Piccolo stood in shock as the creature devoured the man and absorbed his essence before powering up and showing off. "What the—how in the hell—?!"

From their perch, Sofia hissed to Gohan and Trunks, "Now!" and watched as both fighters phased out and simultaneously lowered their power levels to escape the town for direct course to the coordinates Trunks had punched into his wristwatch navigation.

As they leapt away and phased in synchronized combos through the jostled debris and terrain towards the hills, Gohan and Trunks had to submerge their impulse to stop and balk at the overwhelming ki signature emanating from the creature Piccolo was facing off against.

"What the—that feels like my Dad!" Gohan gasped at Trunks as they made it to the hills and began to run side by side through the woods.

"Yeah…and like my father too—it feels like everyone is there and fluctuating from one power level to another. I can't believe that thing could be that strong!" Trunks huffed in exasperated anger.

"Don't worry! Piccolo's there, and you sensed it. He's gotten much stronger," Gohan offered as he hopped onto a tall tree's branch before making his way across the tree line deeper into the uninhabited wooded terrain.

Trunks followed in tow, offering a curt nod over to the younger version of his mentor as he grunted, "Piccolo must've fused with Kami like Krillin said! It's amazing how much more powerful he's become!"

Sending out his hopeful thoughts into the universe, Gohan implored, "I just hope he's strong enough to stop that thing before it hurts any more people…"

Meanwhile, Piccolo had sensed the two demi-Saiyans leave, and betrayed a sidelong glance up to the hotel to notice Sofia was still there. Gritting his jaw, he focused on the monster before him. "What the hell are you?" he grunted harshly over, teeming with rage and worry as he realized what he'd sensed was alarmingly real.

"Come now, Piccolo. Haven't you figured it out yet? I'm superior in every way, and there's nothing you can do to stop me," Cell gnarled conceitedly.

"Just tell me what kind of creature you are. How did you come to know the name of Piccolo? I'm not going to ask you again," Piccolo barked dangerously, his temper showing and earning a wry laugh from Cell.

"Hrmph, I don't make it a habit of talking to my food. You don't need to know my origins anyway, Piccolo. Not like it'll help your cause," Cell drawled, still thinking he had the upper hand.

"Heh, fine. No matter. I usually like to know who I've defeated, but I'll just make an exception this time—"

"Oh my, is Demon King Piccolo thinking he can kill me? What a foolish proposition. Sorry, it's just not likely," Cell quipped sinisterly.

"I don't know how or where you encountered the name of Piccolo, but…" he began before disarming Cell with a sudden, raucous power up that blasted the area around them violently into the dirt and propelled Cell to skid violently backwards before he was able to dig his heels into the ground and waver under the undulating force of Piccolo's aura. "Unfortunately for you…I'm _not_ him!"

"Tch—not him?! Hah, fine, I'll play along. If you're not him, then who _are_ you?" Cell bitingly replied as he held his ground against the undulating energy pulses from his power up.

"Hmph, wouldn't you like to know," Piccolo snapped confidently back, steeling himself for the next power up as he simultaneously harnessed the energy for his first ki blast since multiplying his strength. With a bellowing shout, Piccolo detonated his blast directly at Cell. The radius of the energy collision was immense, spanning blocks and clearing most of the area of man-made structures.

Once the reverberating pulse died down and the trembling of the atmosphere and ground ceased, Sofia peered down from the sky and surveyed the damage Piccolo's power up and blast had left in their wake. "Whoa…." She balked in awe down at the leveled buildings and roadways, the hotel she once was perched on now a toppled heap fallen over onto a precarious angle while the rest of the avenue was virtually gone. 'Piccolo? Can you hear me?' she attempted to reach him over their rapport once again, and got no response or acknowledgement that he heard her. "Tch—dammit…" she hissed to herself as she zoomed down to descend swiftly to the top peak of the closest building below her. "Piccolo…why aren't you answering me?!" she whispered impatiently as she knelt into a crouch to watch her twin star advance on the stunned creature after he'd pushed himself free of the imploded debris to be swiftly kicked and beaten about.

It was clear Cell wasn't expecting the level of power and prowess Piccolo was unleashing on him, and Sofia took solace in the moment that perhaps her twin star was in perfect control of the battle and her further intervention wouldn't be necessary.

The moment of solace would be short lived, and replaced with several moments of panic soon to come.

* * *

Trembling as she climbed to a fearful stand, Bulma began to stammer, "What the hell is going on over there?!"

"I told you—something bad is happening at Gingertown and we shouldn't be here!" Krillin impatiently shot over to her as he descended from his surveillance point in the sky to grab Bulma's hand in order to begin rushing her away from the abandoned time machine. "Just get back in your hovercar and hightail it back to Capsule Corp—!"

"Dammit, Krillin! I'm not leaving until I investigate this thing—"

"Hey! What're you guys doing here?!"

Leaping across the tree line to land in front of Bulma and Krillin, Gohan incredulously stared at the adults before Trunks phased to appear next to him and blinked wide-eyed at the younger version of his mother.

"What?! I could ask YOU two the same thing?!" Krillin barked at the demi-Saiyans.

"Long story. Were you able to find the time machine?" Trunks interjected, earning a slow, disarmed blink from Bulma, who was now seeing the resemblance in the handsome lavender-haired fighter's features with the adorable cherubic countenance of her baby son.

"Uh, yeah…it's right over here. I'm not sure what I should be looking for, so maybe you can help validate whether it's your actual time machine or not," Bulma rushed back and gestured for them to follow her. Once she'd climbed up into the open canopy to check the console for coordinates or some sort of log that would explain the origin of the vehicle, Bulma turned and realized the others, minus Krillin, were staring in awe at the odd sight. Once she leapt down with the peculiar shells she found, Bulma mused, "It looks like it was sent here around 4 years ago."

"Whoa…" Trunks mused, running over to brush the moss off of a certain booster's panel to discover that sure enough, the vehicle was indeed his time machine. "See this? Mom wrote 'Hope!' on here…this is for sure the same time machine I came in. We can't just leave it here," he ruminated and pressed the switch to shrink it back to a capsule he could easily store.

"Good point. And what about these things? I found them inside the cockpit. They look like shells…" Bulma held up to carapaces to Trunks. "I bet this was an egg. Whatever blasted out of the canopy top must've hatched out of—"

"Wait…that's it!" Trunks had a eureka moment, earning their avid interest as he replayed the ruse Sofia had woven to stall for time. _That's what she meant before! Whatever came here in the time machine must've come from my future—and that thing must be…_

Before he could finish his thought, Gohan noticed a strange figure just past some brush downwind from where the others were and shouted, "Hey guys? You really need to take a look at this!"

Pausing, Trunks and Bulma went to follow Gohan, when Krillin huffed, "There's no time to wander off now!"

"Just cool it, Krillin! The fight can't be that bad if the ground isn't shaking anymore," Bulma blew the former monk off as she turned the corner to see what Gohan pointed out and began to scream bloody murder. "Yiaaaaaahh! What the hell is that thing?!"

Trunks gasped after running over to stand next to Gohan, "Oh no…it can't be! It's the monster at Gingertown!"

"WHAT?!" Krillin wheezed out in panic. "You're telling me some giant bug monster is what's been causing all that crazy energy I've been sensing?!"

"Well, it looks like it shed it's skin sometime recently," Gohan deduced, poking at the sloughed shell. "Whatever that thing was back in town, it resembles this molted exoskeleton—"

"They're one in the same. Sofia said we were supposed to find out about the creature that attacked Gingertown AFTER we'd investigated this site, so now that we have and the time machine is secured, we gotta head back!" Trunks interrupted the younger fighter, turning towards his mother to add firmly, "It's not safe here, mom. You need to head back to Capsule Corp while we go help Sofia and Piccolo."

"Yeah—sticking around is clearly a bad idea. So I'm going to head out of here as fast as I can. Good luck, you guys!" Bulma stammered comically as she rushed into her hovercar's cockpit, lowered the canopy and ascended into the sky. "Stop by for a visit sometime soon, Trunks!"

Once she was jetting at full speed out of the danger zone, Krillin huffed a sigh of relief before sweating suddenly. "So…there's a monster over there, and we're heading over to confront it too?"

"Yes—there's no time to explain. You sense it too, right? It's like everyone's energy level has spiked from that creature. We've sensed even our fathers' ki signatures," Trunks rumbled tersely before gesturing to take to the air. "We gotta go and help!"

"Right!" Gohan joined him as they ascended and blasted off, leaving Krillin reeling at the insanity of it all.

"Why can't things not involve some creepy monster that's super stronger than us, just once?!" he whined as he powered up and blasted off into the sky to join the younger fighters, bemoaning his seemingly lousy luck.

* * *

As the battle she spectated seemed to be heavily one-sided, with Piccolo doing more than hold his own, Sofia couldn't help a swell of pride warm her chest at watching her twin star dominate the fight. The sequence played out like it was meant to for many beats, allowing her to feel a semblance of confidence that the turbulence of events being disrupted had finally turned a corner.

Even when Cell astounded Piccolo with not one, but two co-opted signature fighting styles from the rank and file of the Z Warriors, Sofia was glad that nothing out of the intended scope had occurred, until she suddenly sensed something change in the air – literally.

Turning from where she was perched to stare at the northwest of where the city once stood, she saw the tanks begin to roll in from the distance before the cadre was quickly eclipsed by the group of jet fighters that appeared from the sky before slashing a path over the area; banking in formation to circle the site.

"What the—" Sofia shouted as she turned to survey the four jetfighter planes when they seemed to be locking onto Cell. "PICCOLO! GET OUT OF THERE—!"

The bullets began to rain across the airspace, causing Piccolo to barely phase out of the line of fire before the projectiles bounced off of Cell like water pellets. Annoyed, the biogenetic Android scoffed and used his laser blasts from his eyes to blow up two of the jets into fireballs that the pilots were dangerously close to being casualties of. After ejecting and getting jettisoned safely to the ground by Sofia's telekinetic intervention, the other jetfighters pulled back and escaped just as the tanks rolled into the city.

Piccolo was about to shout down from his position for the ground forces to retreat when he sensed too late the charged up blast that Cell began to aim in the direction of the tanks. He was directly between the two forces, and was shocked to realize he wouldn't be able to deflect the blast when, suddenly, he was unceremoniously tackled out of the air and out of the middle of the blast path to the ground.

The military personnel haplessly ran and abandoned the tanks just as the blast decimated the vehicles and left nothing in its wake.

When Sofia looked over her shoulder at the aftermath, she felt her heart pound against her chest. Glaring down at Piccolo, who was comically blinking in stupefied shock at her, she hissed, "That was _too_ damned close!"

Snapping out of his stupor, Piccolo stoically glared back at her before shoving her away. "I told you to get out of here," he rumbled under his breath as he stood to his imposing height and went into his fighting stance when Cell phased to the ground to chuckle cynically across at him.

"Now, where were we? Oh, I think you were trying to intimidate me, Namek," Cell drawled in his gravelly hiss, sparing a mocking glance at Sofia when she stood her ground next to his opponent. "How quaint. Looks like you've got backup. Too afraid to fight me on your own?" the cicada-like creature snickered.

"Don't be salty, buddy," Sofia condescended as she phased to stand off to the side. "I know you're testy, but no need to trash talk. You really suck at it, by the way," she jabbed glibly, earning a temper vein to appear on the creature's temple.

"You TALK too much!" was all Cell could snarl before being blind-sided by Piccolo's punch after he used his amplified speed to overwhelm the Android with a flurry of combos that left him only growing more livid.

"That's ENOUGH! Your fight is with me, monster," Piccolo barked vehemently as he pummeled Cell with a flurry of combinations before shouting back at Sofia, "Get out of here, NOW!"

Hesitating in her spot, she gritted her teeth as she realized the fight was going longer than it should, and Piccolo still didn't have the answers he needed to know in order to progress the events along. "No! I'm not going anywhere, dammit! Not until you pry the answers out of 'em," she snapped defiantly back before actually turning to address Cell after a particular blow sent him reeling into a debris field that he effortlessly avoided by stopping himself with his sheer will. "Or are you such a lame ass Android that you'd let someone speak for you, eh? Quit playing coy, fugly-face!"

Sneering with a temper vein bulging on his temple, the imperfect version of Cell griped, "You insolent, conniving little wretch… if you won't get out of the way like you're told, perhaps this will shut you up for good!"

Piccolo watched in horror as the monster began to cup his hands and fall into the stance of Goku's signature energy attack, "N-No way!"

"Kaaaaaa-meh-haaaa-meh…." Cell recited with a sinister glee in his eyes as Piccolo gaped at him.

To Be Continued...


	5. Vicissitude - Part 2

"Speech" 'Telepathy' _Thought_

Before Cell could recite the last syllable, Sofia phased in his direct path and punched him straight in the mouth, disarming the creature and flummoxing him to waver backwards as she used a violent psionic telekinetic blast to drive Cell unceremoniously into the hillside across from them.

Blinking in shock, Piccolo quickly recovered to phase next to her and jerk her around to face him. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"Moving this the fuck along already! You are NOT just here to fight him, dammit. You are SUPPOSED to be learning too—!" Sofia was interrupted as suddenly, they both sensed the overpowering energy signature looming in the air above them. Jerking up to stare as Cell was now hovering in the sky and still super charging the attack in his bowled hands, Sofia could only snarl, "Ah shi—"

"HAAAAAAAAAH!" Cell bellowed and fired the Kamehameha down in a blazing radius around at his opponents.

The ground detonated and caused violent tremors and a surge of turbulent headwinds to flare across the landscape.

Coughing and gasping for air, Sofia tried to regain her bearings before shaking her head and looking up at Piccolo, who was holding her bridal style in the air just away from the epicenter of the blast.

"That was too close, dammit!" he growled from deep in his chest, livid but able to hone his fury as he glowered down at her.

"Piccolo…" she hiccupped in a shaky breath before her twin star suddenly and forcefully threw her away from himself just as he sensed the creature behind him.

Sofia fell for mere seconds and watched as Cell wrapped his limbs like a vice around Piccolo and squeezed him crushingly before whipping his tail around. "No—!"

"Stay bac—AACK!" Piccolo began to shout and wrung himself to an angle to just avoid the tail's stinger from piercing him in the chest to instead jam into his left arm. "Aaaaaah!" he shouted in horrific pain as Cell gluttonously began to consume the bio-energy from his arm.

The white-hot searing sensation of pain flashed across Sofia's psyche for an instant, as if she could sense the agony Cell was causing her twin star before the biogenetically engineered Android cackled, "I'll have your energy however I drain you, doesn't matter! You'll make a delicious meal until I find Android 17 and 18—achk!"

Just as Cell began to boast, Piccolo was able to slam a backwards head-butt into the Android's face before freeing himself and phasing speedily away from his grasp to the safety of the ground below.

Still reeling from the freak psychic pain she experienced, Sofia landed clumsily to the ground as well before turning to see if Piccolo was safe.

"Look out!"

She instead came face to face with Cell's tail as it lashed towards her – stinger barreling towards her face. Instinctually, Sofia contorted in such a way that she spun unceremoniously out of the path and tried to dive for safety, but was thwarted when the Android's appendage whipped around to instead wrap deftly around her neck. Gasping, Sofia fought to pry the python-like tail away from crushing her windpipe as Cell hoisted her effortlessly off her feet to dangle precariously in his appendage's grip.

"Sofia!" Piccolo shouted and began to rush towards them, when Cell actually clicked his tongue warningly.

"Not so fast! Unless you want me to snap her pretty little neck, I'd stay right where you are, Namek," Cell sneered, putting more pressure on Sofia's neck and causing her to cry out for added effect. "Not that you could do much with one arm, heh! Hahahaha," he cackled despairingly at Piccolo.

Scowling, Piccolo gripped his wilted arm's bicep and stood across from the damned creature, eyes boring into Cell's mocking stare while Sofia continued to writhe and gripped her hands on the trunk of the tail just under her chin.

"You're right. There's nothing I can do now…"

Cell grunted in intrigue. "Come again?"

"You've taken me out of commission. Without my arm, I'm unable to hold up against you in continued battle. Never mind you have my comrade hostage. I don't stand a chance in hell…"

"Hahaha! Finally seeing how futile things are, eh? Well don't worry – with your power, I will absorb you and add you to my reserves, making you part of my cause. I'll be able to reach my perfect form in no time once I've devoured your bioenergy," Cell gloated, hosting Sofia a little higher so he could swing her around merrily. "Doesn't that sound nice, Sofia was it? Yes, I think it's very nice of me too!"

Sneering when he felt Sofia's pang of discomfort flash briefly in his mind's eye, Piccolo drawled, "I just ask that before you add me to your collection, you at least reveal what the hell kind of abomination you are, and what you intend to do now." Piccolo's glowering countenance smoothened out as if resolute that his fate was set. "You have Goku, Frieza – all of our energies, so how in the hell are you able to use an attack like the Kamehameha?!"

"Hrmph. Very well. I guess that's one consolation I can bestow you with, before I feed," the creature snickered, his tail languidly hanging and keeping Sofia hoisted from reaching the ground as he continued. "I am Cell. And I am an Android."

Piccolo gasped. "Not another one!"

Sofia gritted her teeth and glanced at Piccolo. _That's it. Get him talking. I can take a little more—_ she thought laboriously.

"I was created by the computer in Dr. Gero's secret laboratory. Year's ago, Dr. Gero was able to collect cell samples from the world's greatest fighters in order to synthesize their DNA into the creation of the ultimate android. His research was successful, but because of the extended time required to complete the process, he turned his attention to other immediate alternatives while his computer carried out the experiments – working day and night to create the perfect fighting machine. Additional cells were collected and incorporated into the design. You, Goku, and even the Saiyan Vegeta – these samples were taking during the Saiyan invasion when you were at the peak of your strength and power," Cell explained gleefully.

"From back then? No wonder your version of the Kamehameha was so weak—"

"Oh, there's more. We were also fortunate enough to collect the cells of Frieza and his father when they arrived on Earth, incorporating their powers as well. We could've gathered cells from the Saiyan Trunks, but the computer determined we'd already taken enough Saiyan samples," Cell continued, loosening his tail's grip only a smidge in order to ask Sofia rhetorically, "but _you_ already knew all of this, right? Too bad you can't speak up, hehehe…"

Grunting, Piccolo inquired, "Oh yeah? And how'd you come by collecting the samples? We were the only ones on each battlefield. Not like we would've missed if someone else was interloping."

"It shouldn't be THAT hard to figure out. It's the same way Dr. Gero collected data for all his research," pointing over his shoulder, he continued, "A fleet of tiny surveillance robots. The size of a fly –able to get in close without detection – see? Even now, your every move is being monitored. A stream of data is being relayed to the computer for analysis. It might even collect another cell sample from you."

"Grrr—damn thing!" Piccolo snarled as he blasted the tiny fly-robot with his other hand.

"Hah—it's too little, too late. The computer has PLENTY of samples already, and the process is well under way. In 24 year's time, I will emerge: Dr. Gero's final and greatest creation!" Cell declared glibly.

"Impossible! Gero's lab is nothing but a pile of rubble now!" Piccolo shouted turbulently at Cell, earning a dismissive chuckle from the biogenetically engineered Android.

While Piccolo continued to get the answers out of the gloating Cell, Sofia attempted to reach him telepathically, but to no avail. 'Dammit—why can't you hear me anymore?!' she vehemently shouted over their rapport, unaware that the telepathic tether between them had been severely altered after his fusion with Kami. _Ok…I need to signal him somehow. What can I do while restrained like this to let him know when to make his move?_

"—After all, you can't rush perfection~!" Cell chortled in a singsong at Piccolo.

"Then one last question: you must have some reason for coming back here. What is it?" Piccolo snapped, catching Sofia's glance.

"I was created to be the perfect fighting machine, but to achieve that, I need more than the bioenergy of humans. I can't become TRULY perfect until I've also absorbed two highly specialized life forms. Without them, I won't be able to reach the full potential of my design. The one's I need, are Dr. Gero's other creations: Androids 17 and 18!"

Piccolo was flummoxed, and listened to Cell's narrative of how neither of the Androids were left alive in Trunks' time, so Cell disposed of the demi-Saiyan and high jacked the time machine to return to the last coordinates Trunks had set in the vehicle.

"Oh – and the computer showed me something else," he paused for dramatic effect as he added, "Once I achieve my perfect form, I'll become invincible, and be the greatest power the universe has ever known!"

"Humph…figures," Piccolo cynically mused before adding, "What's the purpose of even getting that powerful!"

"Power for power's sake, of course! It's what the computer DESIGNED me to do. Maybe it's due to the Saiyan cells that formed me, or hell – your own cell, Piccolo, that drive my ambitions to achieve the heights of power—oh," Cell paused when he felt Sofia go slack in his tail's grasp. "Aww, she finally passed out? What a little trooper, huh? I hope it wasn't something I said—"

"We've heard plenty. Everything I needed to know, anyway," Piccolo interrupted, taking Cell slightly off his guard as he suddenly ripped his wilted limb off and regenerated his arm.

"Wha-what?! You TRICKED me?! Damn you—!" just as Cell was about to go into his harangue, Sofia's eyes snapped open and with as much gumption as she could muster, she flexed the tendons in her neck, taking advantage of the grip around her neck having slackened slightly, and pried her mouth as wide as possible before chomping down comically on the trunk of the Android's tail. Cell's eyes bulged as wide as saucers and his muzzle of a mouth snapped wide as he wailed, "YIIAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Swinging his tail free from encircling her neck, he tried thrashing the appendage wildly in order to pry her away from the fleshy trunk her teeth were locked onto. "GET HER OFF! GET HER OFF! GET-HER-OFF! YIAAAAAAH!"

Piccolo gaped as he watched the cicada-like monster flail helplessly while his tail thrashed and whipped wildly and Sofia hung on until she was able to get her feet planted on the ground and whipped her head back with enough force that she crushingly swung Cell into a suplex face-first into the debris-laden dirt.

"Blahg!" She dramatically spat as she pivoted and grabbed the trunk of Cell's tail and used her repertoire of wrestling move knowledge to swing him round and round with such force and speed that she spun him like a Frisbee as soon as she let go of his tail and sent him flying. "So grossssss!"She shouted comically as she stomped her feet and posed like she was ready to pile-drive someone. "Huh? Where'd he go?!"

Piccolo's eye twitched with comic frustration before he recovered and grumbled, "Why are we not surprised that you would do something that ingeniously stupid!"

Blinking, Sofia turned and phased to stand in front him in order to jab at his chest as she barked, "It's all I could do since YOU aren't listening to me! Why the hell are you ignoring me—!?"

"We're _not_ ignoring you! It can't be helped if we can't read your crazy glances—" Piccolo began to argue when Cell suddenly appeared to loom down on them from the perch of a fallen piece of skyscraper.

"What's all this 'we' stuff?! And how do you even have this level of power, dammit?! Tell me! The computer's data had your strength much lower than this, Namek," Cell barked before snapping his furious narrowed eyes at Sofia. "And _you_ will PAY for that, you rabid little harlot!"

Sofia grimaced and stuck her tongue out at him as she made a show of utter disgust. "Don't be mad that someone took a bite out of YOU for once, Celly-welly. You taste like shit, by the way," she sardonically spat and earned a flustered expression of indignation from the bioengineered Android.

"As usual, your data is flawed. It wouldn't account for any of the leaps and bounds in fighting power we've all undergone, let alone for my and Kami's fusion. I guess perfection is just your version of inept arrogance," Piccolo shot back and fell into fighting stance, with Sofia following suit.

"Ah! So that explains it. You're not just Piccolo anymore because you fused with Kami!" Cell gaped, before realizing that it was actually to his advantage, since without a guardian, that meant the dragon balls were no longer in existence, so all of his foes would remain dead and gone once he was through. _Hah, nobody will be able to get wished back. Perfect…_

"What you've seen is only the a fraction of my power now. No need to hold back after you were so kind to narrate your goals for us," Piccolo smirked confidently.

Just as it seemed that Cell and Piccolo would resume their battle, everyone paused as they sensed the power levels of other Z Warriors beginning to converge towards the site. Cell actually seemed to frown at the prospect of being ambushed, and Sofia couldn't help smirk.

The first to land on the battle-ravaged site were Gohan, Trunks and Krillin, the latter seeing Cell for the first time and already quaking in his fighting shoes.

"Oh man…is THAT the creature responsible for the disappearance of everyone in Gingertown?!" the former monk gulped.

Piccolo nodded, "Yeah. Watch out for his tail. He can absorb people with the stinger at the end."

Trunks glanced for a beat at Sofia, and saw how she didn't have a scratch anywhere, but had clearly seen more battle by the looks of her tattered clothes. "Are you two ok?" Trunks muttered, earning a silly glance from Sofia.

"Huh? Yeah! We're peachy now," she answered jovially, but telepathically instructed to Gohan, 'Kid, make sure you stay between us, ok? You're not supposed to be here, and I don't want you getting caught up in anything.'

Gohan blinked at her and nodded, so she glanced back at Cell while Krillin asked why the monster had all the power levels of the different Z Fighters he knew.

"We can save the explanations for later. Right now, we have to squash this bug," Piccolo huffed, earning a smug chuckle from Cell.

"Someone's confident, but sorry to disappoint you. It's not going to be so easy for any of you to defeat me," the bioengineered Android smirked.

"Save it! You're outnumbered and outclassed. The odds are stacked against you," Piccolo remarked harshly, earning a nod from Sofia.

"I agree. It appears that my best option is to retreat, for now," Cell drawled glibly.

"Yeah right. Like we'd let that happen. It's going to take more than a half-assed Kamehameha imitation to get passed us!" Piccolo snidely shot back, startling Krillin.

"What?! He can do the Kamehameha?! Goku's going to flip when he hears someone like this guy stole his move—!"

"Oh-ho~! So Goku's alive in this timeline still?" Cell inquired, earning a sweatdrop from Krillin.

"Yeah! My Dad's around, and he's not going to let you get away with hurting anymore people!" Gohan shot determinedly, almost stepping out from behind Sofia before she smoothly scuttled him back behind her with her hand.

"No succumbing to the heart virus, eh? Well, it seems a lot of events have transpired quite differently in this timeline from the one I know. Very interesting," Cell mumbled to himself before continuing, "I have a vast number of attacks in my repertoire, thanks to all of your wonderful cells. As a matter of fact, there's virtually nothing you and I don't have in common."

"Lies and fraud, Celly-welly," Sofia chortled musingly, earning a grunt and growl of anger from the Android. "Don't forget that I'm not in any of your data," she winked and sadistically smirked at him when she added darkly as her eyes glowed a dark crimson, "And next time, I'll just _devour_ your power instead of taking a bite of your hide."

Some of the others standing with Sofia flinched at the wickedness that radiated from her aura as she chomped her viciously pointed teeth, just for added effect. Gohan especially noticed the rise in sadistic ire in her, but wasn't able to place why it felt odd to him when the monster before them interrupted his thoughts.

"Grrr, big talk from a smart-mouthed wretch like you!" Cell barked spitefully at her before directing his next declaration to the other fighters. "I'm done playing games with you—after all, I have a couple of Androids that I need to find, so fair warning: If you try to stop me from achieving my perfect form, you'll regret it dearly, especially if Piccolo here is the BEST you have to offer!"

"What?!" Piccolo snarled as Cell leapt into the sky with the sunlight directly behind him, and when the Android lifted his hands in a very deliberate gesture, he balked at the realization of what power move was about to be unleashed on them.

"SOLAR FLARE!"

Everyone else were rooted in the stops by the tension and shock of seeing Cell perform the Solar Flare, and could only stare in horror as the decisive move was utilized against them and flashed brilliant light as far as the eye could see.

Sofia turned and avoided looking at the blinding glare as she grabbed Gohan and buried his face against her chest to obscure the painful solar gleam from his eyes. With her eyes squeezed shut, she used her senses to detect Cell making a break for it, leaving only the rest of the Z Fighters left in what used to be Gingertown.

"That coward!" Piccolo snarled as he squinted against the blinding sensation before the others gritted and huffed at the disarming move.

Gingerly opening her eyes, Sofia glanced down at Gohan, who was blinking around in shock. "Are you ok, kid?"

"Yeah! Are you?" the raven-haired demi-Saiyan piped up at her as she stood to her full height and glanced over at the quadrant of sky she sensed Cell scurry off towards.

Nodding, she glanced over as the others began to rail against the fact that Cell used such a diversion against them and managed to give all of them the slip.

"Dammit!" Trunks growled. "He's gone!"

"Oh man, we should've seen that one coming," Krillin groused, earning Piccolo's attention.

"Hold on – how the hell does he know THAT move?! I thought the Solar Flare was Tien's?" Piccolo growled at Krillin, who shook his head.

"Nope, it's a pretty easy move to master. Goku and I learned it too, so if that creep can use our powers, that one is definitely a given for him," the former monk reasoned.

"That's just _great_ ," Piccolo grumbled before ascending to the sky to try and track Cell's power level. "Dammit! If he knows that trick, he definitely knows how to suppress his energy too. At this rate, we'll never find him!"

For some reason, Sofia started to feel like her psyche was wandering off from her. While the others argued, her mind strayed to a turbulent stream of emotions she felt detached from, but also weighed down by. Gohan stared wide-eyed at the worry that was coursing through the others before staring back at Sofia.

Wandering back from her inner turmoil, Sofia sighed, loping away as she rubbed her temples, feeling the rush of adrenaline from before now crashing into the painful pressure that made her momentarily lose sight of what she'd just been thinking or doing. Trunks noticed her disquiet and approached her cautiously before offering a reassuring squeeze of her shoulder. "Hey, are you _really_ ok, Sofia?"

Smiling distractedly into his tense, handsome features, Sofia dismissively chortled, "Hell yeah! We're not dead, and you're okay, and Krillin is scared shitless, and Piccolo is irate, so it's all relatively back to normal now!"

Laughing goofily at that while he rubbed the back of his neck, Trunks was about to agree with her when Piccolo landed and began to fumingly power up.

"DAMN IT! What the hell have I done?!" Piccolo raged, ground beginning to quake under his furious power up. "I could've easily beaten that damned monster, but I WASTED all that time asking questions when I should've taken him out!"

Sofia stared blankly at her twin star's mini temper tantrum while the others marveled and winced at the prospect of a furious Piccolo directing his rage at them. "That's intense…he's not pissed at us, right?" Krillin rhetorically mused, his nervous laugh not making it above an anxious huff when Sofia cut the distance and walked over to Piccolo, as if unbothered by his turbulent power up.

"It was not a waste," she declared, hands on her hips as she stoically gazed into Piccolo's eyes until he grunted and huffed in anger, crossing his muscular arms across his wide chest as he diverted his gaze moodily. "You did exactly what you needed to. Now we just have to wait on Vegeta and Tien to get he—"

"What the hell is going on here?!" Vegeta landed suddenly and stalked over to them. "Start talking!"

"Father!" Trunks rushed over to greet him, getting ignored when the Saiyan prince stepped up to Piccolo.

"Nice of you to join us," Piccolo offered in a gruff mutter. "Might as well wait for Tien," he dismissively huffed at the shorter fighter. "I'll fill you all in once he's here."

"Then at least answer me this: how the hell did you boost your power level so drastically in such a short period of time?! It's like you're a whole different person now," Vegeta asked, not liking when Piccolo stoically regarded him rather than answer immediately. "Explain yourself!" he snapped.

"That's because he IS a whole different person now," Trunks interjected on Piccolo's behalf. "He merged with Kami to combine their powers."

"Wait…what?!" Vegeta stared, startled. "How the hell does that have anything to do with being stronger than you were not even a few hours ago?!" he temperamentally snapped.

"Sigh," Sofia exhaled, despite herself. "Piccolo and Kami decided to fuse to become one being again. That means what you're sensing is the true power of the being they'd been originally back in the day. And yes – that means the dragon balls are out of commission. We'll get into it more now that Tien's here," she muttered tersely as she glanced sidelong at the triclops when he began to descend to come to a speedy landing.

"Oh crap…well, uh, now that we're all here, Piccolo—I mean Kami? I mean, Picca-Kami-ccolo—Ugh, whatever you're new name is! Care to explain what the rest of us are missing?!" Krillin huffed.

"Just keep referring to me as Piccolo," the imposing Namekian warrior mused before changing the subject. "That monster is one of Gero's. Cell is _another_ Android."

Startled by the revelation, Trunks gaped for mere seconds while his mind processed and replayed the exchange he'd witnessed between Sofia and Cell earlier. "Wait! That's right—that thing used my time machine! The one that we found, and it came from my time, didn't it?!"

Everyone but Sofia and Piccolo balked at the question, and listened avidly as Piccolo explained all the information he learned during his altercation with Cell.

"MY DNA, AND KAKAROT'S?!" Vegeta gaped, becoming flummoxed.

" _That's_ what we're up against. We have to prevent Cell from reaching his perfect form. In order to do that, we either have to find him and take him out, or find a way to eliminate Androids 17 and 18," Piccolo tersely declared, glancing over at Sofia when she wandered over to sit on a debris boulder. "…I say we track Cell while we still have a chance against him before he absorbs enough energy to become unstoppable."

While Vegeta grappled with the implications of yet another opponent becoming stronger than him, Trunks and Gohan glanced at each other after noticing Sofia's detached mood.

"Cell's here for the sole purpose of absorbing Androids 17 and 18. He won't stop until he's succeeded and achieved his perfect form," Piccolo continued, still focused on their current predicament to notice Sofia's turbulent psyche. The fusion with Kami had left him untethered to her, and he was yet to realize it.

"That means, in the meantime…he'll keep wiping out cities in order to make himself stronger," Krillin stuttered, adding, "That is…unless we stop him!"

"We have to find him first. Now that he knows Piccolo is a threat to him, he'll keep moving from place to place with his power level hidden," Trunks grumbled, adding in a mutter, "we'll just end up chasing his shadow..."

"Damn. Unless we get a step ahead of him, before he absorbs those Androids, we're going to have a REAL problem. The whole planet could be in danger!" Tien lamented, clenching his fists in impotent anger.

"Most likely not just our planet. Cell has the DNA of Frieza in his make up, so we should assume that once he achieves his perfect form and is done with Earth, he'll set his sights on the entire universe if we don't stop him…he's not exactly lacking in ambition," Piccolo stated resolutely, earning a shocked grunt from Gohan.

"The-the WHOLE universe?!" the young demi-Saiyan croaked.

While the discourse played out, Sofia sat and half-listened. Her mind was ruminating. Nothing of the fear or anxiety she'd felt before was present in her thoughts as they zipped like quicksilver from several contingencies of possible outcomes that she'd never before ever deigned to consider. The thoughts cajoled her into scenarios where the battle with Cell would've been ended instantaneously had she not had to stick to letting events play out into their proper course. It wasn't until her mind showed her the possibility of having annihilated Cell with a power she wasn't sure she even possessed that Sofia began to recoil from the stream of unconscious considerations, until she suddenly thought, _If we wanted to, we could've taken Cell's power until he was nothing…!_

"Well said, Namek. After all, he has _my_ DNA as well. Should be an interesting challenge," Vegeta interjected, adding cockily, "If Cell wants to absorb those Androids, I say let him! It'll save me the trouble of hunting each down. We'll see how perfect he really is once I'm through with him."

"Don't overestimate yourself," Piccolo shot back, unruffled. "If Cell absorbs Androids 17 and 18, his strength will be more than both of theirs combined, and you remember how you faired with just the _one_ of them," he jabbed stoically, riling the Saiyan prince.

"Don't patronize me, goddammit! Not unless you want me to kill you first—!"

The sudden turbulent lurch of the ground as a temperamental crack shook its way between Vegeta and Piccolo cut through the tension, causing everyone to direct their attention at Sofia, who'd just stood and stomped her foot in impatience.

"You couldn't kill Piccolo now even if you _tried_ , so give it a rest, Vegeta," she scoffed in a subdued, rancorous tone. "Instead of sniping at him for telling you what's what, why don't you focus on achieving your next feat of power: a level _beyond_ Super Saiyan," she mused rhetorically, tilting her head to the side to give him a mocking version of the very glare he was shooting her way.

"…Dare to repeat that, stealth?" Vegeta dangerously drawled and glared daggers at her before she disarmed him with a cool, vicious smirk of her own.

"You heard me just fine, Badman. Now, instead of wasting any more of your time showboating and flexing, you have some serious training to put in if you want to ascend to the next level of Super Saiyan," Sofia then suddenly snapped her fingers and posed in a goofy way where she was pointing finger guns at him as she added, "So turn that scowl upside down already!"

Balking at the audacity Sofia had to speak to his father in such a way, Trunks almost missed what she'd said. "Wait—a level BEYOND Super Saiyan?! Is that even possible?!"

Instead of the irate berate he impulsively wanted to bark at her, Vegeta let the proposition sink in. "Ascension to another level of power, eh? That's right…I'll achieve a level beyond that of a Super Saiyan, and I will defeat them!" he paused, thinking out loud, "I promise I WILL defeat them by pushing myself further—I know Kakarot is bound to do the same, but I'll be the first to succeed. Mark my words!"

"Whoa," Krillin mused in awe, earning a grunt from Tien.

"You fools can do whatever the hell you'd like, but I'm going to stick to doing things my way. Just count on me being the victor in the end!" Vegeta declared smugly before allowing his energy aura to envelop him before blasting off to the sky, leaving just dust in his wake.

"Imagining a level beyond Super Saiyan…I guess it's possible," Piccolo muttered in awe at the proposition before trailing off when he noticed Sofia sit back on the boulder and resume her ruminating mood.

"If Vegeta is going to try and push past Super Saiyan level, then it should be just as easy for my Dad to do the same…right?" Gohan asked, staring up at the adults with a hopeful gleam in his eyes.

"Heh, Goku's the kind of guy who can't ignore a challenge, so you can bet he'll blow past Vegeta in any ascension of strength," Tien retorted confidently, offering a genuine smile when Gohan lit up with confidence.

"That's right! For as long as I've known Goku, he's never sat back and let people get stronger than him," Krillin grinned and gave a thumbs up. "Never mind we've all been trying to keep up with the guy too!"

Having been glancing at Sofia from the corner of his eye, Trunks wandered over while the others chatted about Goku's warrior prowess to instead check on the enigmatic woman.

_I don't know why that's even an option. You need to stop thinking stupid shit like that, brain!_ She was currently berating herself, trying to understand why her mind would even suggest taking matters into her own hands for such a selfish and reckless outcome that could detrimentally alter the timeline. Just when she shook off the feeling, a thought from deep in her unconscious mind whispered to her.

… _We are strong enough to achieve whatever kind of victory we wish…_

Distractedly, she began to ponder that proposition; unaware that the rogue thought had a certain ominous edge to it that she should've recognized as being abnormal, but instead only heard it distractedly as her thoughts became more muddled.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Blinking, Sofia cleared her mind and glanced up at Trunks who was standing before her. "Huh?"

"Oh, uh, I just mean you look like something's bothering you," the lavender-haired warrior stammered slightly, inching backwards when she stood and stretched her arms high above her head and grinned goofily at him.

"I guess all the beatings today have fried my brain!" she piped up with a fangy smile, adding as a zany comic aside, "Come to think of it, I was choked by three different Androids at different points, and we're not even full past noon yet…"

"You WERE?!" Gohan shouted in shock as he suddenly ran over to incredulously stare up at her and fretted.

"Hahaha, don't sweat it, kid! I'm alright, really," she grinned reassuringly at her friend. "So I take it Bulma's on her way back to Capsule Corp?"

"Yeah. We found the time machine and the shell pieces in it, and now I understand what you meant earlier," Trunks replied.

"Bulma was pretty freaked out about the molted skin we found too and rushed out of there. I can't believe that Cell monster came from the future!" Gohan piped up.

Crossing her arms, Sofia leaned her weight onto one hip as she sighed, "Yeah, that dude is a creep. He tastes even WORSE than he looks too!"

Face faulting to the ground at that, the two demi-Saiyans shouted in unison, "WHAT?!"

Grinning cheekily, Sofia sweatdropped and piped in a goofy singsong, "Oops! That sounds SUPER bad out of context, doesn't it?"

"Hey, Trunks!"

Recovering from the silly moment to turn to face the others, they waited until Krillin hustled over to ask, "So, about these time travel rules: You said there's no point in going back to the past, because it wouldn't alter the bad stuff in this timeline, right?"

"Huh? Oh—yeah, so if we were to try and go to the past to destroy the Androids before they get activated, that would only affect that timeline. It wouldn't affect the ones that are here," Trunks confirmed, earning Gohan's wide-eyed attention.

"Damn…so there wouldn't be a point in going back to Gero's lab and blowing up the Cell that's being made by the computer in the tank now, right?" Krillin asked.

"I think we should. Even if it doesn't help my time, it'd still be the right thing to do. We can at least make sure another Cell doesn't show up 20 years from now in this timeline's future," Trunks reasoned, earning a curt nod from the others.

"That's settled then," Piccolo mused, about to authoritatively bark out orders, when Sofia slid in and hushed him chibily.

"Wait! Some timeline housekeeping first," she goofily chirped before whirling around and addressing a wide-eyed Gohan. "Alright, so Imma need you to head back to Master Roshi's and keep an eye on your dad, ok? It's my screw up that you're out here to begin with, so please make sure you head there and stay put, for the time being," she instructed and ruffled Gohan's wild mane affectionately.

"Ok, but what about you?" Gohan smiled through the ruffling and glance over at Piccolo.

"I'll search the area here to see if I can pick up Cell's trail. They'll head to Gero's lab—"

"I'll stay and help. Pretty sure you could use the extra eyes," Tien interrupted Piccolo, earning a grunt as the Super Namekian gritted his jaw.

"Fine. But as soon as you're done, head back to Kame House, all of you," Piccolo commanded, earning a sharp glare from Sofia.

'Are you still ignoring me?' she asked telepathically, a mild edge to her tone. When she didn't receive a reply, she huffed and caught the tail end of Krillin advising that they should all use Kame House as a base of operations to watch the news reports for where Cell could strike next.

"Yeah, good idea!" Tien offered.

"Ok then, I'll see you guys later then!" Gohan retorted as he hopped in the air and blasted off to the sky for direct course to Master Roshi's island.

As Sofia watched her friend leave, she heard Piccolo clear his throat, catching her attention to glance back over at him. "Are we back on track?" he asked in an unreadable tone.

Nodding, she glanced away and told Krillin and Trunks, "I'll tag along with you guys."

"Cool! We'll see you guys later then," Krillin offered jovially as he, Trunks and Sofia took to the sky, blasting off to head north, back to what was left of Dr. Gero's lab.

Scowling as he watched them leave, Piccolo wasn't sure why he felt so off-kilter in the moment. "Let's head out," he grumbled over at Tien, shoving his moody ruminations away and chalking up his turbulent feelings to residual consequences from his fusion with Kami.

* * *

Jetting through the sky, the odd-looking trio flew against the cooling headwinds towards the north to retrace their steps and find the site Dr. Gero's lab once stood.

As they flew, Sofia's turbulent thoughts managed to subside and allow her to think of what was next to come. _We should have a couple of days now until we're confronted by the Androids and have to deal with Cell again, so now it's just timeline housekeeping – making sure things tick through the_ _appropriate sequence without avail._

"Hey, Sofia?" Krillin called over to her, pulling her back from her thoughts. "Is it REALLY possible to reach a level higher than Super Saiyan? You weren't just saying that to pump Vegeta up, right?"

"Yeah, I can't believe there would even be such a level. It sorta sounds insane to me…" Trunks mused as well, eyes earnestly confounded by the idea.

"Of course there is! Think about it: levels of power are only limited by a person's will to push past limitations. Without spoiling too much…I'll just say there's no such thing as one threshold of power when it comes to being a Super Saiyan," Sofia explained, trying to keep vague on the details.

"Huh, I never really thought about it like that," Krillin hummed to himself.

"So you're saying there's not just one level beyond Super Saiyan…?" Trunks attempted cautiously, earning a temper vein to throb at Sofia's temple.

"Stop fishing for spoilers! I can't tell you more than that. But man, _you_ guys are the warriors. Have you ever thought you hit your limit and then pushed past it and gotten stronger? It's not just something that happens to freaks of nature like Goku and Vegeta. All of you Z Fighters have gotten infinitely stronger every step of the way. You've risen to the occasion every time you had to make it count. There's no such thing as a limit," Sofia rationalized after cheekily admonishing Trunks, before adding thoughtfully, "If you have the will to push beyond, you can achieve it."

Krillin's eyes were wide as he listened avidly while Trunks' expression was guarded and thoughtful. _Does that mean I can ascend beyond my Super Saiyan power as well?_

"Look – there's what's left of Gero's hidden lab," Sofia called over as she zoomed sharply to descend down to the tree line leading to the blown-out mountain plateau that was littered with debris and junk from Trunks' hasty blast.

The three landed on to the plateau while the northern winds whipped around them. Sofia ignored the chill while Krillin hugged himself and fought his teeth from chattering. "Gah, it's freezing up here. Where do you think the entrance to the basement level of the lab would be?"

"It's gotta be under all this rubble…best you stand back. It's my fault for leveling the place recklessly," Trunks muttered before raising a palm outward and blasting at errant areas of debris before continuing to sweep the area.

Sofia frowned, glancing at Krillin when he shrugged and joined in on the energy sweep with Trunks. Before long, the lavender-haired fighter called out that he'd found something.

Loping over, Sofia looked down at the dark, cavernous hidden staircase that led deeper into the mountain. Whistling, she kicked a pebble to tumble down the dark hole. "Well, who's first?" she chimed with a jovial lilt to her tone before wiggling her eyebrows over at Krillin and declaring, "Not it!"

"Huh? Oh-uh—not it!" Krillin retorted as well, leaving Trunks to blink at them and grunt in confusion.

Elbowing a playful nudge to his arm, Sofia irreverently grinned, "That means you go first!"

Sweating goofily for a moment, Trunks shook the expression off quickly and gave her a determined look. "Sure thing," he mused before hopping down into the darkness to descend swiftly.

Following suit, Sofia and Krillin descended too and landed into a dark corridor. Sofia hadn't expected it to be so dark, so she allowed her eyes to adjust into her sharp, almost predatory sight that allowed her to see in the dark—one of the many perks of her transformation into the physical being that had once been her past life. As they walked down the corridor, she let Trunks walk ahead so he would be the one to push open the thick steel doors of the underground lab. Once he found and turned on the lights to the space, they looked around, astonished by the underground bunker's sprawling room of equipment.

"Oh man, is that the computer? It's massive!" Krillin wondered out loud, while Trunks explored more of the equipment and came face to face with the tank that housed Cell in her larval state.

"Hey, come look at this. Here he is…it's Cell," Trunks stated, staring at the small little creature that would eventually become the cicada-like creature he saw annihilate Gingertown.

Rushing over, Krillin stared into the side of the tank while Trunks tentatively touched the glass. "Whoa…I can't believe that becomes the same monster Piccolo fought," the former monk mumbled before outstretching his palm in signs of a proposed ki blast. "Let's do what we came for and put this place out of commission—"

"Wait, hold off on that. Not just yet," Trunks called out when he noticed a drafting table just off to the back of the lab strewn with blueprints.

"Huh?" Krillin began when Sofia suddenly phased next to him and pushed his extended palm down.

"This isn't just a destroy mission, bud. We can seek out some stuff that might help," she explained before calling over to Trunks. "Find anything interesting over there?"

"Yeah…these are blueprints—whoa! These are the plans for Android 17!" Trunks exclaimed, holding up the plans and scanning them.

"For real?! Are there any plans for Cell, or maybe that Android 16 guy?" Krillin asked as he made his way over to take a look as well.

"Nah, no such luck. These other blueprints don't look important. But do you know what this means?! If we take these back to my mom, she might find a flaw in the design! It could be a real way to shut down the Androids for good – before Cell has a chance to absorb them," Trunks reasoned, an excited smile on his lips as he turned to hold up the plans to Sofia. "We finally caught a break, right—?"

He paused when he noticed she was still standing in front of the tank that housed Cell. She seemed to be contemplating the small creature stoically as she pondered something.

"Hey, we should definitely take those blueprints with us. I'm sure Bulma can crack the code and figure out a way to disable the Androids, so let's trash this place and head to Capsule Corp," Krillin remarked in a knowing tone, wanting to get Trunks' mind back on the task at hand.

"Oh, uh—right!" Trunks cleared his throat and nodded curtly.

Catching the tail end of Krillin's remark, Sofia shook her ruminations away and focused back on the present, glancing away from the glowing tank to the others.

"Sorry—got lost in thought," she offered in a reserved tone before hopping back towards the entrance and putting her palm face out. "Let's get to blowing shit up!"

Smirking, Krillin replied, "That's what I came to do!"

Rolling up the blueprints and tucking them under his arm, Trunks went about blasting some of the computer servers that gave the monster-producing computer its power while Krillin and Sofia blasted anything and everything else around the bunker.

"Damn machine. You won't have a chance to ruin another future. Never again!" Trunks yelled out as he blasted the computer and caused a ripple effect to tremor through the lab and create cracks in the tank.

Once they'd blasted everything and had the lab smoldering and ablaze, they turned their attention back at the ominous tank housing the un-evolved Cell. Trunks and Krillin stood side by side and raised their palms for a joint blast of the tank, before stopping and looking over at Sofia.

Blinking, she chirped, "What? Something on my face?"

"No! You're part of this mission too, silly," Krillin congenially remarked and nodded for her to come stand by his other side.

Feeling oddly touched by the gesture, albeit macabre that it was, Sofia loped over and stood to Krillin's left and raised her left hand palm out, charging up a blast in unison to coalesce and obliterate the tank and succeeding and disintegrating every atom of Cell out of existence.

Looking around and the chaos they'd created as it began to spread, Trunks declared, "That's enough. It's time to head back to the surface, guys."

"Yeah, let's go!" Krillin agreed and led the way out of the lab as Sofia and Trunks fell into lockstep with each other as they sprinted back down the corridor before leaping upward to ascend back to the plateau. Once all three had cleared the exit of the hidden stairwell, Krillin turned while in mid-air to send a ki sphere down into the dark hole as he declared, "One more for the road!"

The entire mountain completely burst into rubble and fire before caving in on itself, leaving no remnant of the lab that once was housed within it. Once assured their job was done, the three jetted southwest in direction for Capsule Corp. As they flew, Trunks kept glancing sidelong at Sofia, wondering why she was so pensive after the fight with Cell.

"I can't believe we were able to find those blueprints!" Krillin cut into his thoughts, earning a terse grunt of acknowledgment before Trunks diverted his gaze back at the former monk.

"Yeah, I really hope my mom can find their fatal flaw with these. It could turn the tide for us," Trunks mused, before extending the plans towards Krillin. "Can you get these to her for me?"

"Huh?! You're not coming to Capsule Corp with us?" Krillin asked.

Before Trunks could answer, Sofia swooped over to fall into flying formation on Krillin's right. "Trunks got something else he has to do. I'll tag along with you, Krillin," she wiggled her brows at him, "Or are you still bothered to be one-on-one with me?"

"Hah! No way. After seeing you fight today, you're definitely one of the guys now," Krillin remarked confidently, and earned a mock fiery glare from Sofia at the way he'd said that. "W-wait! I didn't mean it like that! I just meant you're not just a pretty girl anymore—you can kick serious ass and that's sort of scary so you're just like Vegeta to me now—"

"So you're saying I'm a asshole with a bad temper?!" Sofia cut in in mock anger, fist clenched as she barked, "Are you SAYING I'm all SAIYAN level of badass energy now?!"

Sweating and stammering comically, Krillin yammered, "I-I-I just mean—!"

That faux ominous aura of fury that had kicked up around her quickly disappeared as she grinned like a Cheshire cat and cackled, "I'm just messin' with yah!"

Krillin dipped sideways in mid-flight, stress lines forming under his eyes as he suppressed the blue blush of mortification that was on his face. "That's no way to treat a former monk! I'm a nice guy, I'll have you know," Krillin grumbled huffily. Trunks suppressed his laughter throughout the whole exchange until Krillin began to scoff at Sofia's fangy, winning smile before relenting and muttering, "Don't toy with me like that, you meanie!"

Laughing heartily at that, Trunks was joined by Sofia as her guffawing turned into giggles before she sighed and playfully punched Krillin's shoulder. "Oh c'mon! After all we've been through today? I know you're the best, Krillin, cuz you can't stay mad at me for long," she grinned cheekily until Krillin relented and laughed along with them.

"Hey, wait – where ARE you going, Trunks?" Krillin asked as he sobered at holding such important contraband in his hand.

"Well…I was going to find my father and train with him. If he's going to reach a level beyond Super Saiyan, I want him to teach me too," Trunks earnestly explained, earning an all-meaning grunt of worry from Krillin.

"Uh, I totally get it, trust me. But don't take this the wrong way…it's just your dad is not the most…sociable type, you know? I don't think he'll be too thrilled on having you tag along," Krillin remarked delicately.

"You mean he can be a real bastard most of the time and will bark at him or ignore him every change he gets," Sofia offered glibly, earning a nervous laugh from Krillin and a frown from Trunks. "Hey – trust me when I say that he's not all bad. I know you haven't heard the most glowing reviews about Vegeta, but there's a lot more to him than just being a cocky asshole. You just have to be patient and willing to work through his stubbornness."

Absorbing her words thoughtfully, Trunks mused, "I know…and while I don't really want to rely on him, I can't deny that I can learn a lot from him. I think even he would recognize that training with a partner will produce better results than training on his own. I think it'll be good for the both of us." Glancing over at her, Sofia returned his tense expression with a serene smile. Somehow it gave him a little hope. "You two take care, and wish me luck?" he mused sardonically, smirking when Sofia elbowed Krillin.

"Yeah, wish him luck, Krillin. He's just fishing for spoilers again!" she playfully huffed while winking at Trunks.

"Hah, well I think you're definitely gonna need it, buddy. Give him hell, and don't let his surly attitude get the best of you!" Krillin offered, holding up the rolled-up blueprints as he added, "Just leave this to us."

"Thanks," Trunks offered a farewell wave before jetting off to the left and blasting off in search of Vegeta's power level.

Watching as his energy contrail fizzled the further he flew, Krillin sighed, "Vegeta is totally going to be a jerk to him, huh."

Scoffing, Sofia drawled, "Most definitely."

* * *

"Basically, if we use these blueprints to find a weakness in Android 17, we could find a way to deactivate him or Android 18 to make Cell unable to absorb them!"

"Well, well—these are very interesting. A lot of this is beyond even my expertise. What a shame. Dr. Gero could've done real good for the world had he not gone done such a dastardly path."

As he continued to peruse the schematics, Dr. Briefs balanced his half-finished cigarette precariously at the corner of his mustachioed mouth, until Bulma snagged them from him and skimmed the computations herself.

"Hey, it looks like these Androids are made up of organic substances patterned after human cells. Hmmm, maybe he started with a human base and up-converted all the organic tissue on a cellular level? That's how it'd be possible for that Cell guy to merge with them," Bulma theorized out loud, earning a lame look of confusion from Krillin while Sofia continued to look around the lab for the iconic little character she had yet to meet. "I'll have to study this a bit more to know for sure, but it looks like there could be some smaller synthetic components we could exploit and create a flaw."

"So, does that mean you'll have a way to disable the Androids? That's great—!"

"Now hold on, Krillin. We'll definitely need time to review and test anything we come up with, so it could be a couple of days, at the very least until we have anything," Dr. Briefs interrupted the shorter man.

Huffing, Krillin complained, "Whatever you can do! I'm just afraid we won't have that kind of time…or, hey," he turned to address Sofia, who was just standing from looking under a work desk, and asked, "I know you can't spoil too much, but _do_ we have a couple of days?"

Crossing her arms and teetering on the balls of her heels, Sofia clicked her tongue and relented. "We do…but that of course is subject to nothing going off the rails in the sequence of events as they should play out. We did NOT have luck in avoiding that today, so…" she shrugged noncommittally.

"Well, guess that's better than nothing," Krillin sardonically groused. "In that case, we'll get out of your hair and leave you to it. We should head back to Kame House—"

"Actually, can you go on ahead? I've been dying to ask two favors from these geniuses, among other things," Sofia cut in and turned wide beaming eyes towards Dr. Briefs and Bulma. "Firstly, can I meet Scratch? Usually she's on your shoulder or roaming about in the lab, but I don't see her."

Almost falling over sideways at the petition, Krillin balked, "You're that excited to meet a cat?!"

"Hell yeah!" Sofia answered, giving no other clarity.

Sweatdropping, Krillin just laughed goofily. "Alright then…I'll leave you to it and see you back on the island then, heheh."

Before he turned to leave the lab, Sofia called over, "Hey—watch yourself out there, alright? We don't know where anyone is for sure, so keep your head on a swivel."

"Right." Krillin nodded and said his goodbyes to the others, before exiting the lab.

"So, you were looking for that darn cat this whole time? No luck spotting her?" Dr. Briefs retorted jovially, intrigued that someone would be interested in meeting his companion, albeit assistant cat.

"Yeah. Scratch is just iconic," Sofia smiled and added goofily, "Not to mention the cutest!"

"Hahaha, well need look no further," the doctor merrily declared before pulling open his lab coat's pocket and cajoling, "I need your help, Scratch."

From said coat pocket emerged the head of a little black cat with big round eyes. Yowling in reply, Scratch began to climb out of the pocket and up his labcoat until finding perch on his left shoulder.

"Awwwww!" Sofia gushed, thinking the cat was just the cutest thing. "Hi, Scratch. You're just the smartest and cutest thing, arentcha?" she chimed as she offered an affectionate pet to the top of the cat's head.

"Your first request was really to meet dad's cat?" Bulma muttered sardonically under her breath at Sofia, who unselfconsciously nodded. "Well, that's cool, I supposed. What was the other favor you needed?"

"Oh, I am DYING to have a nice hot shower, and rather than go to Master Roshi's and risk him and Oolong peeping in on me, I figured my best shot was seeing if I could impose on you guys—" while Sofia had been chatting, Scratch had started to stare at her almost in a transfixed way before hopping off of Dr. Brief's shoulder onto his drafting table and out of the room just as Mrs. Briefs had breezed in with an offering of treats on a platter.

"You need a place to stay? We'd love to have the company! There's plenty of room," Mrs. Briefs declared before Sofia could finish her petition, having caught the tail end. "We have a nice cozy room right upstairs you can stay in!"

"Yeah, mom's right. I'm sure everyone bunking at Roshi's is definitely going to be crowded, and with Goku's place off limits, you can stay with us if you need to," Bulma offered congenially, pleasant and genuine while her mother cheerily nodded along.

"Oh man, you just reminded me I don't have my backpack with my stuff…it's back at Goku's," she winced at the realization. "Anyway, thanks for the offer, but for now I could just use the shower. I can snap myself some new threads," she glanced self-consciously at herself as her left shoulder's sleeve finally gave out and unraveled after she flexed her arm, "Seeing at this outfit is totally falling apart on me."

Mrs. Briefs offered her husband his afternoon beverage and snack while Bulma placed the plans back on the drafting table. "Sure thing! Let me get you some fresh towels and—" just as she'd started replying, Scratch had run back into the room with her favorite stuffed mouse toy and waltzed right up to Sofia's feet before doing a little circle and placing the toy at her feet. When everyone just blinked in confusion and surprise, Scratch sat up and yowled at Sofia. "Well THAT'S new," Bulma remarked, while her father marveled at the display.

"That's Binksy, her favorite toy. She won't even let me have it!" he gaped, causing his cigarette to come dangerously close from falling free from his lips. "I can't explain it—you must've made quite an impression on the ol' girl, Sofia!"

"Uh, I guess?" Sofia stared wide-eyed before crouching down and accepting the offering and petting the top of the black cat's head. "Thank you, Scratch, but this is your toy," she chimed sweetly and squeezed the little squeaker before placing it back in front of Scratch, who gave her the strangest big-eyed stare before mewling, picking up her toy in her mouth, and scampering merrily away back out into the corridor. "Alrighty then~!" Sofia responded goofily and added as an aside, "Note to self: Cats think you're weird."

Everyone laughed at that, relieving the tension of any Android threat they were tasked at foiling – for the moment.

* * *

While Sofia remained at Capsule Corp, Krillin hadn't made it very far before he intervened to save a girl and young boy from Cell at Basil Airport within the city limits of Gingertown, and as intended, got thrashed by the bioengineered Android until Cell made a break for it in order to avoid Piccolo and Tien.

Egos bruised, the three fighters had decided to return to Kame House to reset and wait for the next signs or reports that Cell was on the attack again. Flying across the cloud-filled afternoon sky, the Z Fighters were discussing possible plans of patrol or targets Cell would consider, but one of them began to ruminate about the events of the day so far.

Piccolo was fuming that Cell had managed to slip between their fingers yet again in just one day, let alone after he'd gone through the excruciatingly infuriating process of fusing with Kami. His power should've completely outmatched the bioengineered monster, but because of his distractions and his inability to anticipate the techniques Cell had at his disposal, he'd been taken off-guard and left bemused like an amateur fighter. _Not to mention having to worry about her…_ Piccolo thought admonishingly, sour that he felt completely handicapped by having to worry about Sofia's safety. She had managed to hold her own under what had been a curve ball of events, but he still felt she'd been brash and reckless, leaving herself open to being captured by Cell.

"…so Trunks headed to look for Vegeta, and Sofia stayed at Capsule Corp?" Tien was asking Krillin, piquing Piccolo's attention to eavesdrop and to push his ruminating onto the back burner.

"Yeah. She'll meet up back at Roshi's later, and poor Trunks is probably going to be holding his breath for Vegeta to give him the time of day, let alone train with him," Krilling sighed before adding, "I really hope that medicine kicks in soon and Goku's back on his feet before we have _another_ run in with Cell."

"We all are. Whether its taking out Cell before he finds Androids 17 and 18, or we somehow put them out of commission before Cell gets to them, we're gonna need all the help, regardless," Tien grumbled.

"We don't know what the cards have in store for us, so we should assume we have to keep the vigil and take them on ourselves for the time being," Piccolo offered in a surly mutter.

Glancing at the now Super Namekian, Krillin attempted, "And we couldn't just break the rules just once and beg Sofia to give us a teeny weeny hint on what's coming next?"

"No." Tien and Piccolo snapped in unison, earning a nervous laugh and silly expression from the former monk.

"Hah-heh…it was worth asking."

* * *

The amount of time that the water rained down over her head and face to cascade down her body had melded away once the sensation of the day washed off of her, literally and figuratively. Her thoughts were muddled again, weighing her down and causing the same peculiar ruminations from back in the underground lab to flood back.

… _The courses of events do not have to play out accordingly when our power can shift things to our will…_

The glowing image of the bio-tank she'd stared into flashed in her mind's eye as the thought replayed over and over in her head. Almost spellbound, her unconscious allowed other wayward thoughts to crawl from somewhere deep in the recesses of her being, unchecked as the cacophony of colorful whispers fired like sparks to obscure her previous state of mind. Just as the swirl threatened to pull her deeper into the recesses said thoughts were springing from, the image of Piccolo shot through her mind and illuminated the darkness, causing all ruminations to blink away, as if her mind had simply wandered. His expression in her mind's eye was confident, albeit loving, as he smirked at her in that way that always managed to warm her heart.

Before she realized or heard it, Sofia had begun to hum absentmindedly, a jaunty yet pensive tune she didn't quite recall the origin of, but by sense memory felt comforted by.

"I've lost all my pride  
I've been to paradise  
and out the other side

With no one to guide me  
Torn apart by a fire wheel inside me

I wont hurt you  
I wont hurt you  
I wont hurt you  
I wont hurt you."

Her thoughts clearing, she hummed and sung the song as she washed her hair and slowly, her demeanor became invigorated by the soothing water and fragrant soaps. She seemed to snap out of the brooding tangle of her thoughts. Smiling into the cascading spray, she sung the song a little more thoughtfully as she pictured Piccolo.

"My pale blue star  
my rainbow how good it is  
to know you are like me

Strike me with you lightning  
bring me down and burry me with ashes

I won't hurt you, I won't hurt y—"

"Hey, Sofia? You ok in there?"

Comically freeze-framing in the shower and hurriedly washing the soap and suds off her head, Sofia cleared her throat and called out, "Yeah! Sorry, I'll be right out!"

Quickly finishing her exquisite and much-needed shower, Sofia stepped out of the shower stall and vigorously dried off with a soft, plush towel Bulma had provided her. As routine, she generated a small surge of ki to flare outward in a hot aura in order to dry her hair instantly, and instantaneously caused steam to cloud the cozy bathroom before she snapped her fingers and materialized a new, casual outfit before she opened the door and exited with a jovial sigh.

Walking towards the inviting and well-appointed living room that Bulma was currently sitting in with a cranky baby Trunks fussing in her arms, Sofia did the happy feet dance and fluidly wiggled her arms as she strutted into the room. "I feel like a million zeni~! Thanks for letting me impose, Bulma," she declared gratefully as she spun and posed in front of her and grabbed Trunks' attention long enough for him to blink round eyes up at her before laughing adorably. "What? My outfit looks funny to you, man? Don't be jelly that I look this good, baby Badman!" Sofia teased the blue-eyed child as she tickled his belly while Bulma laughed.

"He just woke up from his nap, so that's why he's being a little stinker," the Capsule Corp heiress giggled before letting Trunks balance on her knees so he could bounce and dance cutely.

"Ah, just like his father," Sofia snickered and picked up Trunks when he leaned dangerously over to be held by her. Grabbing his little hand and pretending to merengue dance with him, she added goofily, "Oh yeah, bub. Your dad has been such a chore! You really gotta work on wearing him down so he's a little more cuddlier, k?"

"Hahahah! Vegeta? Cuddly?! I'll perm my hair again the day THAT happens," Bulma acerbically laughed before scoffing at the thought of the mercurial man's cocky smirk and brash treatment of her and their son.

Sobering at hearing the edge in Bulma's tone, Sofia paused in mid-dance and glanced at Trunks before conspiratorially whispering, "Ah, that's right. Your dad and mom are not really canoodling these days, eh?" When Trunks began to babble as if he was answering her, she nodded earnestly before responding, "I know. You're so smart. You get that from your mom."

Shooting Sofia a harried glance, Bulma asked, "You don't really understand him, right?"

"Not literally, no, but he shares his vibes with me, right dude?" she smiled when Trunks clapped his hands and giggled. "Anyway, thanks again for everything. I have to head out and check something out before I meet up with the others at Master Roshi's," she replied and handed the happy tot back to Bulma before snapping her fingers and materializing a light, olive green bomber jacket with two white stripes along the collar, cuffs and waistband to go with her form-fitting distressed jeans, novelty white shirt, and converse classic all star Chuck Taylor sneakers in dark blue.

Eyes going as wide as saucers, Bulma gaped at the magical fashioning and jumped up to zip around Sofia as she pulled and prodded at the jacket in awe. "What?! You can snap your fingers and materialize ANYTHING you want?!" she inquired in a high-pitch while Trunks bounced in her grip and ogled his mother.

"Pretty much, except like metal armor. Stuff with buttons and zippers is doable, but like a chestplate that is solid alloy? It's a no-go," Sofia explained as she shoved her hands in the jacket pockets and grinned at Bulma's invasive wonder.

"Sooooo, let's say," Bulma began as she picked up a _West Capital Cosmopolite_ magazine and pointed at the cover, "IF I wanted to get this custom couture gown, you could literally just snap your fingers, and voila~!?"

Leaning in to study the sleek, chic antique-laced peach gown with ruffled chiffon train, Sofia trailed the tip of her tongue along a sharp, pointed fang as she hummed. "Do you want it in the blush color? Never mind, I'll just give you options," she stated pleasantly before standing straight, eyeing her measurements with a discerning glance, and dramatically snapping her fingers, triggering a magical materialization of fabric to envelop Bulma before the warm, brief flash revealed a duplicate of the lovely gown on the magazine cover she still held.

Incredulously gaping down at herself, Bulma was about to squeal with joy when the sudden crash of china hitting the floor snapped everyone's attention the doorway that Mrs. Briefs was standing in, eyes wide open and mouth in the perfect shape of an oval as she gasped, "Oh my~!" Hurriedly picking up the clattering of broken china to rush over and peer at her daughter's lovely new dress, the usually ditzy blonde fawned, "I have a scrapbook FILLED with clippings of outfits I've always loved that would be a real dream to have in my closet! Let me go get it!" Rushing out of the room to search for the mentioned scrapbook, Mrs. Briefs left a comical air streak in her wake and tossed the drapes about in the room.

"So, about those color options," Sofia continued as if uninterrupted. "I think a very pale teal would look really pretty on you too. What do you think?" she mused after snapping her fingers again and magically dyeing the peach dress into a pastel teal version.

Standing in front of the mirror set against the far wall, Bulma was beaming. "Seriously: If you NEED a place to stay? Come here and stay however long as you'd like!" she stated emphatically while happily twirling around the living room in her new couture gown with Trunks merrily laughing in her arms.

Grinning, Sofia chirped, "I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

"…two, maybe three days, if we're lucky. So, that's where things are so far, and what we're up against," Krillin exhaled in a sigh as he picked up his glass and sipped the cool, refreshing liquid while the others sitting at the kitchen table absorbed his complete update of all the events to date relating to the Androids.

Leaning against the tabletop, Yamcha blew a raspberry, "And we're pretty much just in a holding pattern until that Cell guy or those other Androids make a move? Bummer."

Humming to himself, Master Roshi lamented, "All we can do is hope that Goku is back on his feet before those Androids come lookin'…"

"Uh, isn't it a safe bet to assume that if those Androids go to Goku's place and don't find him there, they'll come straight here next?" Oolong suddenly stammered, derailing the chatter for a bit before Yamcha hushed the shape-shifter.

"Cool it, Oolong. Not like it's really an option to outrun them forever. Anyway, so you think Bulma will have something we can use to try and disable the Androids in a pinch?"

"Yeah. She and Dr. Briefs said they'd need a couple of days to come up with something," Krillin answered simply.

Meanwhile, as they continued with their chatter, Tien and Gohan kept watch of the television for any news bulletins involving Cell, while Piccolo sat outside in his meditative pose, just under the open windows of the living room.

Listening in to the conversation, he opened his eyes and eavesdropped more keenly when he heard Krillin say, "…things got off track from how they were supposed to happen, so she jumped in and picked up the slack to try and get stuff back to the natural sequence that events are supposed to play out," before adding in a whisper, "You guys should've seen her fight."

"Heheheh, I'd like to see her do more than fight, eheheheh," Master Roshi yammered lecherously before Yamcha snorted irreverently and Oolong scoffed.

"She really held her own, even after Dr. Gero got the jump on us, not to mention when we had to actually fight those Androids Trunks told us about," Krillin continued. "I just hope we can all keep it going and not trip up…"

Inwardly scowling, Piccolo felt conflicted about Sofia's level of involvement in the events so far, especially when her recourse had seemingly involved her getting precariously close to perilous danger.

There was still so much tangled in his psyche and spirit post-merger. The level of worry he felt about Sofia having to intervene in high stakes moments was something he wasn't able to shake before, and now it was unbearable to imagine her being in the fray while he stood on the sidelines, ignorant of what to do and powerless to help regardless. He'd even begun to second-guess whether being left in the dark was the right move. Should he continue to rely on Sofia to point out when things were diverging? Could it be possible to have her give him some idea on what to expect from future events? What would be the consequences of that?

Realizing there was nothing he was accomplishing by sitting around the small island and waiting, Piccolo decided to go do something about what he believed he could control: his internal turmoil. It was time for him to organize his spiritual center and get a handle on where he ended, and where the other two began.

* * *

Having managed to sway her way out of snapping a whole new wardrobe for every season of the year – for the time being anyway – for the Briefs ladies, Sofia had headed out of Capsule Corp to survey a very particular area she was anticipating the three road-tripping Androids would take en route for Goku's. Wanting to insure that they still had the exact amount of days before Androids 16, 17 and 18 would make their way to Kame House, she figured she could zip to the northeast and trace the main highway they would've likely taken after carjacking the distinctive pink van outside of the Northlands. Flying at an altitude that gave her a bird's eye view of the terrain below, she allowed her eyes to adjust and dilated in such a way that she could scan the roadway miles below.

Wind whipping past her and blowing her hair to undulate behind her shoulders, she watched as the traffic thinned out the closer she approached the vast lands of Mt. Paozu. The densely forested, rolling hills, scenic peaks and secluded valleys were sparsely inhabited, so she was hoping it would be all the easier to spot a big pink van as it chugged along, with Android 17 joyriding behind the wheel while Android 18 scowled in the passenger seat and Android 16 relaxed in the back.

_Now let's see…they should've headed south to go over the gorge before heading up the northern mountain road,_ she thought as she descended and slowed her speed to glance around. _If I remember correctly, at some point Seventeen decides to go off-roading. He won't be able to do that until he's over the main peak._ Chewing idle on the inside of her cheek, she flew a bit more to ascend past the misty clouds and into the sprawling sanctum of the lush terrain she'd become so accustomed to in the last three years. Frowning despite herself, she remembered how upset Chi-Chi was with her, and how everything drastically shifted. Was this still her home? Could it be after everything settled down?

Part of her felt that some sort of honeymoon period had abruptly ended; that the belonging she once felt had been pulled out from under her. After all, the Son family wasn't _really_ her family, no matter how much she wanted to be part of a family as kind and caring as theirs. They had welcomed her as one of their own, but seeing the betrayal and anger in Chi-Chi's eyes was a cold reminder of the reality she'd forgotten.

She didn't have a family.

Scowling, and swallowing the lump that was forming in her chest to be pushed deep down, Sofia focused on the road ahead, literally and figuratively. As she approached a winding turn up the mountain, she flew low to the tree line parallel to the road to avoid being spotted by any coming or going vehicles.

A burst of cawing birds suddenly flew out from a canopy of trees ahead, causing her to freeze in mid-air and listen for what could've spurred the retreat.

Faintly from the distance, she heard, "You scared the birds away again."

Blinking, Sofia rapidly descended out of the sky to land on a tree branch as she heard a dry tenor voice respond, "How 'bout you do less bird watching and more helping with the van, Sixteen?"

Stealthily, Sofia phased across the distance, using high tree limbs for purchase, until she was hiding in a leafy tree across from where a pink van was stalled on the side of the road. The hood was up and the engine was steaming. Glancing over from the engine to the side of the van where Android 18 was leaning against, she watched as the blonde nonchalantly inspected her nails while Sixteen emerged from the back of the open van doors with a large canister.

"We should just fly the rest of the way, Seventeen. This hunk of junk making it this far was cute and all, but I'm over it," Eighteen drawled while Seventeen emerged from the other side of the van.

"Oh c'mon. We're almost there! All we need is a little water, right Sixteen?" Android 17 mused aloofly as the hulking Android approached him.

"Yes. The coolant is running low. There is none in the back of the van, so I will retrieve water from a nearby stream to fill the coolant tank. It should be enough remedy to get the van to Son Goku's home," the Mohawk-haired Android stoically replied before his eyes began to scan the terrain to his left for said-water source.

"See? Sixteen's willing to play ball, and he's been all 'must kill Goku,' this whole time. I think you can be a little more patient and just enjoy the detour," Seventeen smirked when his sister shot him a dispassionate glare. "You made us stop to get that goofy looking outfit, so you can humor us now."

"Hmph…fine, but this is getting _real_ old, Seventeen," the blonde Android huffed as she loped away to sit on nearby fallen tree trunk, head propped between her palms as she leaned her elbows over her bent knees.

"Nearest stream is about 2 kilometers northeast in that direction. I will be back in 10 minutes," Sixteen stated and flew upwards before jetting off to accomplish his task.

Inwardly sighing in relief, Sofia calculated, _At their current pace, with this little detour, and if Seveteen detours a couple of more times, they should be arriving in the valley sometime May 15_ _th_ _, just as they should. Not bad._

Deciding to stealthily retreat just as sneakily as she happened upon them, Sofia phased out and backtracked through the woods.

Glancing sidelong behind herself, Eighteen hummed thoughtfully, earning Seveteen's attention. "What's up?"

"Nothing…could've sworn something moved back there," the blonde responded.

Making it miles away from the road, Sofia felt safe to blast off to the sky and head for cloud cover to jet away from Mt. Paozu in direct route for Kame House.

_Whew. That's one less thing to worry about,_ she thought as she flew before idly wondering if the worse of the divergence in events was finally over. _We're now in the days right before those three get to Kame House, fight Piccolo, and lure Cell out from hiding to absorb Seventeen and Eighteen. Hopefully, we'll finally have a chance to get back and stay on the track …_ she thought about how Piccolo would undoubtedly be in a surly mood after all the losses today, but truly looked forward to spending time with him and returning to some sort of normalcy between them.

Only the opposite awaited her and her twin star, compounded by the chaos of more changes to come.

* * *

Landing on the sandy beach of the island, Sofia glanced at the sunset that was just beginning to dip across the horizon before steeling herself with a sobering breath. Loping towards the porch, she thought, _Just don't spazz out anymo—_

Before she could take another step towards the house, she was tackled unceremoniously to the sand by a rambunctious demi-Saiyan. "Soooofiiiiiaaaaa!"

"ACK!" she placed Gohan in a headlock and rolled onto her knees to subdue him. "What in the seven hells?!"

"Hahaha! You're finally back! Are you ok after all the fighting today? Where have you been?!" Gohan peppered her with questions while she kept him in the headlock before hoisting him up effortlessly to mockingly glare at him.

"I was decompressing from a series of chaotic events that shocked and awed me. Duh!" she quipped, holding him at arm's length as she drawled, "But seriously, I'm fine. Just was checking on something to make sure no more crazy off-the-cuff stuff was going to happen today. Looks like we're in the clear."

Landing cheekily to his feet, Gohan beamed up at her, "That's a relief. Everyone's been on edge."

"I'm sure," she replied as they walked up the porch and through the open screen door. "Everyone settling in ok? I was hoping to stop off back at your place too, but figured it'd be best not to risk it."

"Oh yeah! That reminds me," Gohan declared suddenly before running up the stairs and immediately running back down with her trusty little backpack clutched in his arms. "I made sure to grab this for you when we all left to come here," he handed a disarmed Sofia the backpack that held some of her few and prized possessions, capsules, and other keepsakes.

Crimson eyes gleaming lovingly down at the smiling boy, she kneeled down and pulled him into a tight hug. "Thank you, Gohan!"

Chuckling happily, he grinned up at her as she ruffled his hair affectionately. "Don't mention it! Isn't it cool we're all here together? It's sorta like a fun sleepover," he offered sweetly, ever positive and caring, just like his father.

Smiling, Sofia went to respond, when a call rang out through the house.

"Gohan! It's time for you to wash up and get some sleep!" Chi-Chi's bellowing shout came from all the way upstairs of the quaint beach house, rattling the other inhabitants as they cringed and halted greeting Sofia as she and Gohan stood in the entry of the cozy living room.

"Be right up, mom!" Gohan shouted back before scampering up the stairs. "Goodnight!"

Sighing, Sofia took the opportunity to slide over and sit on the bench chair of the open windows' sill before looking around at the others and slowly realizing Piccolo wasn't there.

"Hey! Welcome back," Tien offered as he placed the bundle of bedrolls he was balancing in his arms down while Yamcha came around the corner with blankets and pillows.

"Yeah, you're just in time. I don't know about you, but we're all beat – literally – and are gonna bunk down for the night," Krillin explained as he continued arranging the furniture to make room for the bedrolls.

"I guess that random run-in with Cell at Basil Airport was the cherry on top to a very messed up day, eh?" Sofia roused dryly, earning a sweatdrop and shiver from Krillin at the reminder.

"I'm telling you, I will NEVER get used to you doing that," he responded hastily as he laughed nervously. "If not for Tien and Piccolo showing up, I don't think it would've been pretty for me."

"Well I'm glad to hear it, and that you held you own," she smiled and gave him a thumbs up. "Krillin: savior and all around tough guy!" she declared slyly, earning a sweatdrop from Yamcha and Tien while she and Krillin laughed. Then, she snickered before sighing, "I'm not gonna lie, I'm exhausted too." Brushing her hair behind her ears and getting reminded of the hoop earrings still in her earlobes, she hummed, "Oh yeah – I can take these off now." She unfastened and pulled the hoops off, allowing her regenerative factor to heal the piercing in each earlobe and seal over. Everyone seemed to marvel at the rapid healing factor displayed casually by her. Tossing the earrings into an interior pocket of her backpack, she glanced up at the others, offering neutrally, "Ah, forgot to mention I can heal. Now you guys get why I wasn't concerned about holding my own, right?"

Nodding, Krillin marveled out loud, "Oh man, yeah! I should've realized that after Dr. Gero got the jump on us. By the time we got to the secret lab, you didn't have a scratch on yah!"

"Whoa, not a bad perk to have," Yamcha whistled, while Oolong yawned and climbed into his sleeping bag in the hall, as if such information was obvious.

"You betcha," she smirked. "So, is this everyone that's spending the night?" Sofia attempted nonchalantly as she got comfortable by sitting over on a large pillow by the coffee table, not noticing Master Roshi's hopeful gleaming sunglass-covered leer as he pantomimed grabbing handfuls of her derriere before Yamcha bonked him on the head with his fist and dragged him away to lay on the first bedroll.

"Yep! The Son's are upstairs in Master Roshi's room, Piccolo went off to do, uh, whatever, so the rest of us are going to spread out down here," Yamcha explained, noticing how Sofia's eyes crinkled. Thinking she was bothered by the sleeping arrangement, he interjected, "But hey, you can sleep by the window for the fresh night air, and we'll box you in from getting too close to you-know-who," he jokingly gestured at the zonked out Roshi, who was already snoring with a bubble inflating comically from his nostril.

"Nah, don't worry! I'll sleep outside—" she began, hands gesturing for them not to bother.

"No way! C'mon don't be like that. After all, you're just one of the guys, right?" Krillin knowingly quipped and wiggled his brows at her.

"Har-dee-har, bub," Sofia shot back, eyes narrowing to little sly dots as she mildly mused, "But really – I like sleeping under the stars. I'll just take the hammock outside," she swiftly thwarted any chance of continued argument by grabbing her backpack and hopping out of the open windows, flashing them a grin and the peace sign before announcing, "Goodnight, and sleep tight~!" and headed around the front of the house towards the palm trees at its side, hopping into the hammock and staring up at the twinkling star-lit sky.

Once she'd headed off, Tien smirked as he lay out on his bed for the night and mused, "Think she'll be the next Marron, Krillin?"

Sputtering, the former monk huffed, "Absolutely _not_. She's beautiful, but way too scary for me."

Slyly snickering, Yamcha asked, "Even scarier than Bulma and Chi-Chi?"

"Yes. Only a Saiyan would be crazy enough to take on a woman as bad ass and terrifying as that, hence why guys like Vegeta and Goku ended up with women like Bulma and Chi-Chi," Krillin explained matter-of-factly.

Frowning at the mere mention of Vegeta having won the affections of his ex Bulma, Yamcha sourly huffed, "Well unfortunately for her there's no other Saiyans hanging around to win her over. Just us regular non-jerk humans."

"Pfft, are you forgetting someone, Yamcha?" Krillin mused as he reclined smugly on his bedroll, adjacent to Tien.

Skeptically glancing at the shorter man, the scar-faced fighter grunted, "No?"

Smiling knowingly, Krillin offered conspiratorially, "You weren't really along for the action the rest of the day, so you didn't notice it, but I'm pretty sure she won't have an issue in the Saiyan suitor department."

Tien nodded along, adding, "Although I doubt the logistics of how that'll work out, if we defeat these damned Androids, of course."

"Whoa, hold it, guys. Who the hell are you talking about? Am I missing someth—oh…wait," Yamcha densely began to argue before it slowly hit him. "You mean Trunks?!" he whispered, mindful of the volume of his voice when Oolong poked his head out from the hallway and glared at him, one floppy ear dangling free from the sleeping stocking on his head.

"Finally dawned on yah, eh?" Krillin goofily mused.

"Jeez. What's with Saiyans always making out with the hottest girls around, huh?" Yamcha bemoaned rhetorically, sulking as he flopped onto his bedroll.

"Uh, this coming from the guy who dated the richest girl in the world and got dumped for cheating on her left and right?" Krillin muttered, eyes becoming sidelong dots while Tien shook his head ruefully.

"Yeah, and didn't you flirt with Chi-Chi when she was barely a teen too?" Tien shot sardonically, all three eyes narrowed humorously at Yamcha.

"Hahah, well I guess when you put it that way, they only had a chance after I had mine first, hahahaha," Yamcha laughed thick headedly while the other two fighters face palmed at his warped, dense logic.

Meanwhile, Sofia was zoning out, headphones on as she listened to her Walkman and stared up at the tropical night sky, the sunset having flared out quickly into a lovely summer night. As the hammock swayed, she thought clearheadedly about everything that had transpired throughout the day, and wondered if there was a chance that she'd make it through to the end of the current saga without having to worry about another series of variances of events taking place. She sensed that her intervening without help from the others was unsustainable, but wasn't sure if the risk of sharing her knowledge – even the most limited details – with Piccolo would result in better outcomes, or just worsen events.

Eyes beginning to flutter, her mind began to wander, detached from the ruminations and pondering of her thoughts into sleep. The tranquil breeze and swaying of the hammock helped the exhaustion of the day finally crash against her conscious and lulled her into much needed slumber, just as a shooting star streaked across the dark sky overhead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song featured in this chapter is "I Won't Hurt You" from The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band.


	6. Thrumming Discordance

"Speech" 'Telepathy' _Thought_

Startling up from a fitful dream, Gohan drowsily glanced about the room, his mind whirring with confusion with the unfamiliar surroundings for a moment before his awareness returned to him. His mother was sleeping curled up on the side of his father's bedroll, while Goku remained unconscious as he recovered from the ravages of his heart virus. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, the demi-Saiyan sighed quietly to himself as he resolved to lay back down when his keen hearing suddenly picked up the stirrings of movement in the room below.

Humming serenely under her breath, Sofia swayed along to the melody in her head as she bustled around the quaint kitchen, making sure to remain quiet enough for the others sleeping in the adjacent main room as she continued to prepare for the new day. She was sans her jacket and her hair was styled in a half up half down 'do, swaying and bopping with her movements. Tapping her bare foot as she hummed along, she finished up the platter she was arranging. As she spun on her heel to place the bounty of assorted fruits onto the kitchen table, she froze when she caught Gohan peering at her from around the corner, eyes fixated on the food as he drooled hungrily.

Giggling, she chimed over their rapport, 'Come sit. I'm making some biscuits that'll be done in a few. You can have some while I finish making the eggs.'

Nodding vigorously, Gohan stealthily tiptoed into the room and sat merrily at the table, eyes gleaming after Sofia handed him a glass of fresh-squeezed juice for him to swallow down with a pleasant sigh. 'Thanks! Did you sleep well?'

Smiling, she reached into the oven and pulled out the biscuits while simultaneously using her telekinetic powers to open the fridge and retrieve the butter. 'Yeah. It was so nice waking up to the morning breeze and sound of rolling waves. Sorta reminded me of being back in Puerto Rico,' she replied serenely, placing several buttered biscuit rolls in front him.

Meanwhile, the wafting aroma of hot breakfast began to sway throughout the beach house and stir the noses of many of the sleeping fighters out in the living room. Rising like a comical floating cherub from his sleeping bag, Oolong was the first to float into the kitchen as if in a trance. "Oh man, something smells tasty!"

"Bro, really? Shush it!" Sofia goofily admonished as the shape-shifting pig stood on the chair across from Gohan and salivated as he lovingly stared at the food before him.

"Too late! We're awake," Krillin declared as he yawned and stretched into a sitting position. "He's right: something smells delicious!"

"Whoa, it's already dawn?! I can't believe I overslept," Tien rubbed the back of his neck as he nudged Yamcha with his foot. "Time to rise and shine, buddy."

Grumbling unintelligibly, the scar-faced fighter slowly woke up and scowled grumpily. "You seriously can't let a guy sleep?!" he began before his nose twitched happily at the aromas coming from the kitchen and his stomach growled cartoonishly loud. "On second thought, the early bird gets the worm!" Yamcha retorted and made his way gleefully to the kitchen.

Laughing, Sofia placed the rest of the food out family style for everyone to dig into. "Have at it, guys. Plenty of food to go around," she smiled, seemingly not noticing how Master Roshi had slid into the kitchen just behind her and was leering at her backside happily. "Oh wait! I forgot the coffee," she suddenly gasped, arm flailing to her side as she conveniently whirled around and back handed the lecherous martial arts master into the far wall before he could successfully grope her voluptuous derriere. Spitting his juice out, Yamcha began to guffaw while Master Roshi deflated and crumpled to the ground. Krillin and Tien blinked at each other while Oolong snorted and continued to munch away on his helping.

"Uh, Master Roshi? You ok?" Gohan ran over to assist the dizzy sensei as he laughed goofily and Sofia knowingly waltzed over to the stove to prep the French press.

"Wowza, what a woman~!" was his toothy cackle as he wandered into the living room and fell back asleep on the nearest bedroll.

"Milk and sugar, anyone?" Sofia inquired simply as she leveled a pointed glance at them before giving them a mischievous smile.

Gulping his mouthful down, Yamcha blinked and stared at her novelty white t-shirt. He was trying to make out the design on it and ended up openly staring for so long that Tien elbowed him admonishingly. "What?! I'm not staring Roshi-style. Just trying to figure out what's on her shirt," the scar-faced fighter pouted at the triclops.

"Huh? Oh," Sofia glanced down at her shirt, having forgotten the silly spoof design of an iconic photo of The Ramones wearing leather jackets and posing in front of a dirty brick wall. Her version of the photo was starring – from left to right – Trunks, Vegeta, Goku and Gohan, all in leather jackets 'mean mugging' the camera, but instead of 'The Ramones' written at the top, 'The Saiyans' was scrolled in big bold lettering. "It's just a silly shirt I made. I have a penchant for novelty and pop culture shirts. Sue me," Sofia responded with a shrug, smiling when Gohan giggled and continued to eat with gusto while the rest of the guys exchanged quizzical looks.

"You 'made' it? You can fight, cook AND you're crafty?" Yamcha marveled while he elbowed Krillin and gave him a knowing look.

"Nah, it was literally a snap, dude," she responded and holding up her hand, snapped her fingers to trigger the magical fashioning of a pink button up shirt with the words 'LAME MAN" written across the back to replace Yamcha's orange gi top. "See?" she smirked while Yamcha stood up and balked, patting the garment and feeling up his torso in surprise.

Krillin snorted at reading the back of the shirt. "Hah, I've seen THAT shirt before."

Looking at himself in the nearest full-length mirror out in the hall, Yamcha frowned. "Oh c'mon! What the hell…" they heard him huff before stomping back into the kitchen. "If you're going to insult me, at least put me in a more flattering color!"

Everyone laughed before continuing to eat and chat.

* * *

Somewhere in the arctic, ice continent up north, Piccolo had lost track of time in the harsh terrain and grueling climate, still in his meditative pose at the top of the snowy plateau that was at the center of a raucous windstorm. Cold ice drops and snow whirled around him, but he could not feel them against his skin or seeping into his clothes. In a perfect trance, his aura enveloped him protectively from the elements while his internal resolve was honed in concentration, allowing him to work through the tumultuous chaos of his splintered mind and begin mending the fractures. As the turmoil vibrated away, the facets that distinguished his soul from the two other souls that resided in his being began to form – to come into stark focus and stand before him.

Focusing, all three counterparts fledged out the haze that separated them but also tethered them into cooperative, equal conscious beings that just so happened to stand out from each other's spiritual cores. The central bridge emerged intact within the void that separated the conscious space housing each of their spiritual beings, but unlike it's previous incarnation when it was just Piccolo and Nail, another path had fused onto the bridge leading to the spiritual core of Kami. The merger of the central bridge solidified and allowed Piccolo, Nail and Kami to step out of their spiritual quadrants to acknowledge one another in the now calm inner space for the first time since the fusion.

Crossing his arms, Piccolo scowled at the other two, who glanced at each other.

'Well, it's nice to not be tumbling through that chaos anymore,' Nail offered charismatically before pleasantly waving at his newest counterpart. "Hello, Kami-sama! So nice to finally meet you in the flesh—er, in the spectral flesh, I should say.'

Smiling humbly, Kami bowed in deference. 'It is nice to meet you as well, Nail. I apologize for the chaos our fusion propelled you into—'

'All right, that's enough with the pleasantries! Lets get the ground rules straight now that we're all here,' Piccolo groused sharply, earning a frown from Kami and Nail to roll his eyes.

'He's all bark and no bite in here, Kami-sama. Don't mind him~!' Nail quipped as an aside to the elder Namekian, earning a grunt of humor and a growl of exasperation from Piccolo.

'Shut it, Nail! I don't have time to screw around with you two pains in the ass, so let's get on with it,' snapping impatiently, Piccolo continued in a level tone, 'Like we agreed. I call the shots. It can't be helped that you're both stuck in my head, but I'll be damned if that means I have to suffer both your foolish bullshit, got it? You're along for the ride, and I don't want any backseat driving, nagging, or pushing of influence. If I want your input, I'll ask. Understood?'

Sagaciously nodding, Kami responded, 'I agree to the terms. After all, we agreed you would carry on where I failed. I will share my knowledge and strength with you, Piccolo.'

'Good,' Piccolo smirked, glancing over expectantly at Nail.

Raising a brow ridge, the other Namekian sighed knowingly as he dryly drawled, 'I can't make any promises.'

Sneering, Piccolo shot gruffly, 'Always the wise ass.'

'I'm serious! I know you think of me as a pesky tenant, but do not forget I offered my power to you back on Namek for the greater good. I have no regrets. I've rescind myself to being your spectral companion—maybe even your begrudging roommate, but you will not run roughshod on me. I have not ceased being just because we merged, so don't think that's going to change simply because Kami-sama was magnanimous enough to willingly join this zany co-op called your head,' Nail declared with compunction, standing defiant and confident on his side of the bridge.

Blinking at the exchange, Kami cleared his throat before jovially adding, 'Well now that we're 'roommates', there's no need to be so formal. Just refer to me as Kami.'

'Oh, uh—of course! Sure thing, Kami,' Nail pleasantly chuckled, rubbing the back oh his neck as he and Kami smiled.

Sulking, Piccolo glared back and forth at his counterparts, knowing full well he'd have to put up with double the nagging and know-it-all pontificating of the two sociable Namekians.

_Dammit…well it was worth a shot_ , he muttered to himself before huffing and dropping his arms to his sides. 'Fine. Whatever, just neither of you make it a habit to butt in with your opinions all the damn time, would yah?'

Responding in unison, Kami chimed, 'I'll give it a try!' while Nail repeated in a musing tenor, 'I can't make any promises~!'

* * *

"Ahhh, that was great. Thanks for feeding us, Sofia! Where'd you even find all that grub? Master Roshi's pantry isn't ever stocked like that," Krillin remarked gratefully as he rubbed his stomach.

"Most of it was! Found the flour in a cupboard, but all the fruit is locally sourced from islands all around here. I had the rest in a capsule, so not too bad. I would've made bacon," Sofia comically paused, glancing at Oolong with a predatory gleam before adding, "But figured butchering any nearby pigs would be too cruel, hehehe…"

Gulping and visibly paling, Oolong made his hurried goodbyes and skedaddled to the air in his shape-shifted bird form to go join up with Chiaotzu and Puar where they were hiding out, leaving in a flurry up to the blue sky while Krillin and Sofia giggled from the porch steps.

While Gohan had gone upstairs to take food up to Chi-Chi, the others were hanging out in front of Master Roshi's under the warm and sunny sky. The waves were rolling against the coast in a tranquil tide while Tien and Yamcha lightly sparred across the sand; the former monk and red-eyed woman idly watched and chatted. The peaceful calm was exactly what everyone needed after a contentiously grueling yesterday and an unknown tomorrow.

As stray news bulletins came across the television playing in the background within the house from time to time, most of the reports focused on how small town populations had disappeared overnight, or theories about the monster that had first appeared in Gingertown.

Idly listening while he meditated, Master Roshi was suddenly reminded of something and sprang up to rush to the porch and declared triumphantly, "That's riiiiiight! I can't believe I almost forgot!'

Startling Tien and Yamcha to pause in the spar while Sofia and Krillin balked at the old master's gratuitously grinning face, they waited until the Turtle Hermit adjusted his shades over the bridge of his nose, catching the sun's gleam in the dark lenses, before he pointed deliberately at Sofia. Blinking down at herself and seeing he was pointing to her chest, Sofia furrowed her brows and looked back up at him. "You forgot…I had boobs?"

Falling sideways off the porch, Krillin laughed nervously, "I highly doubt Master Roshi could forget something like that…"

"No, honey bunny! I forgot that dear ol' promise you made yesterday? The one where you'd do something for me, remember?" the leering, bearded elder in the Hawaiian shirt and flip-flops declared almost toothlessly as he grunted, "Remember? Remember? Remember?"

Crossing her arms thoughtfully, Sofia hummed and racked her brain, pressing her lips together idly and licking them as she pondered. "Huh…sorry, I honestly can't recall," she responded genuinely, eyes wide when the old master teetered forward in forlorn disappointed.

That is, until Yamcha was struck with recollection. "Oh wait…" he began as he walked over and stood in front of Sofia. "I think I know what it was," he continued dramatically before dropping his hand firmly on her shoulder and answering in a flirty retort, "You said you'd strut around in the teeniest, skimpiest bikini for him if he skipped the old perv stuff and helped out, remember?"

Mouth becoming a thin line and red eyes shrinking to points, Sofia's devolved expression slid to Master Roshi's, who was vigorously nodding and agreeing with Yamcha, before sliding over to Krillin, who was cringing, and Tien, who was flummoxed, then returning to Yamcha before glancing at his hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, I get it, if you'd rather I run interference for you with the old man so you and I can go on a date or something, I'd be more than happy to," Yamcha cockily schmoozed in a whisper, giving her his most winning, albeit conceited, suitor look, bouncing his brows and humming, "Whaddaya say?"

Mechanically blinking in comic mortification at her options, Sofia didn't catch Yamcha shooting Krillin and Tien a knowing wink, calling back yet again to his bizarre theory from the night before and earning a facepalm from the triclops and a nervous laugh from Krillin.

Placing her hand on his, Sofia swiftly and effortlessly placed Yamcha's arm in a painful lock, bending his wrist in such a way above his head that she was able to control him as he whined and yelped, "Ow-ow-ow-ow! Ok! Okayyyyeeeee! I tap out, I tap out!"

Dropping her hand, but keeping the lock telekinetically on his wrist, Sofia crossed her arms and woefully sighed before bowing her head and relenting, "A promise is a promise…I'll honor it, Master Roshi."

Yamcha continued to whine and beg while Krillin and Tien face-faulted to the ground. Master Roshi, on the other hand, fawned in awe up at the bodacious woman with the red eyes and pointed fangs before fainting with joy and slinking down the stairs.

* * *

He was absolutely furious.

He'd suspected that Sofia had been recklessly running interference and jumping into fight rather than be more strategic in trying to alter the divergences and cancel out the variances of events. Seeing it, however, had only infuriated him more, his questioning of the merits of her course of action so far was decidedly negative now. Not because he didn't think she was capable of holding her own, but because deep down, he felt impotent in not being able to help and protect her. Of course, that's not how he interpreted his feelings, let alone how he would ever voice them to anyone. Still, the disarmingly unnerving anger he'd felt at seeing her be hurt and almost killed by Gero, then challenging the two very Androids the rest of them had gotten pummeled by, fueled his surly resentment.

Once he and his counterparts had cleared the chaos caused by fusing with Kami, he'd been flooded with a clear sequence of events he'd not witnessed, filling in the gaps he hadn't been around or conscious for. The knowledge and insight of Kami's oversight as Guardian of Earth had provided him what he considered to be all he needed to know about their current circumstances, and while his counterparts had vehemently argued with him to not make any rash decisions, Piccolo was resolute in his intentions to curb Sofia's impulsive intervention in future altercations with Cell and the other Androids.

Flying from the northwest, high above the clouds at a rapid clip, he scowled as his mind replayed unbidden the image of her being strangled by Cell's tail. His blood boiled at the reminder, and he cleared his mind just as he sensed that he was nearing Kame House. Descending from the clouds, he spotted the small island and saw that Gohan was sitting at the back of the beach house at a desk, doing his homework.

Smirking, he zoomed down and came to a landing right across from his old pupil, who quickly abandoned his studies to run over and greet him. "Hey, Piccolo!"

Crossing his arms over his chest, Piccolo grunted, "Your mother's got you studying? Seriously?"

"Hahah, yeah! I'm hoping to sneak in some training later though," he grinned up at the imposing warrior and best friend. "Plus, she told me to steer clear of what's happening at the front of the house…"

Quirking a brow ridge at that, Piccolo reached out with his mind and sensed the ki signatures of everyone else, and didn't pick up anything peculiar. "What's going on over there that Chi-Chi's helicopter parenting you away from it?"

Shrugging, Gohan responded simply, "She said it's something I'm too young and too impressionable to be influenced by it, but I don't see what wearing a swimsuit has to do with that."

"…Okay?" Piccolo muttered tersely. Curiosity getting the best of him, the Namekian warrior strode over to walk around to the front yard of the beach house. The first person he came across was the elder talking Turtle, who was currently glancing quizzically at all the others from the cool shade of a couple of palm trees.

"Oh, hey, Piccolo! Fancy meeting you here," the congenial Turtle greeted him.

Nodding in acknowledgement, Piccolo glanced over and saw a strange sight.

Master Roshi was laying on a beach towel, staring fawningly at the water ahead of him, with hearts in his sunglass-covered eyes and a lecherous smile on his face, nosebleed threatening to leave him anemic as a long drop dangled precariously from his nostril. Then he noticed Tien and Yamcha were standing on the porch looking in the same direction as the old man, only with stupefied, incredulous looks on their faces. Lastly, Krillin was leaning out the window, arms resting on the sill while a blush heated his features, his eyes blinking rapidly as if he was trying to prevent them from falling out of his sockets.

"What the hell are they looking at—?" Piccolo began to inquire when he followed the stares to the water. Instantly locking eyes on the figure that was emerging statuesquely from the turquoise blue waters to lope back up to the shore, his heart began to race and thump against his ribcage as his gaze roved up Sofia's body.

"Ain't it the darndest thing? A bunch of seasoned warriors just ogling a pretty girl in a swimsuit," Turtle tisked and shook his head ruefully, unassumingly jovial and obtuse about the attraction factor such a display would cause.

Not answering, Piccolo's eyes were wide as they took in the incredibly scant two-piece bikini she was wearing that practically left nothing to the imagination. The skimpy pink bikini bottom was a sliver of material, straps riding high and accentuating the lovely curve of her hips while the matching top comprised triangles of material that barely fit her generous and perky breasts, revealing plenty of side and under boob that was tantalizingly exposed while her cleavage seemed to defy the very laws of gravity. Water glistening down her tan skin, Sofia tossed her wet strands of hair about to cascade down her sloping shoulders as she stunningly posed and waved flirtatiously at the gawking men before her gaze halted on Piccolo.

"This is better than any centerfold in Roshi's stash…" he dimly heard Yamcha sigh while Tien grunted distractedly and Krillin agreed in a lilting hum.

Pulse racing, Piccolo managed – with much effort – to suppress the purple blush tinting the bridge of his nose and flushing his cheekbones to balefully glare at the others and bellow, "Are you all seriously leering at her instead of fucking training right now?!"

Snapping the stupefaction away from the other Z Fighters and causing them to face plant in mortification, they all attempted to pretend like they hadn't been gawking at Sofia, feigning scratching their heads or whistling or surveying the sky attentively, all except Master Roshi, who'd finally succumbed to his nosebleed and fainted with his expression frozen in a joyful leer.

Blinking at Piccolo as a temper vein throbbed on his temple and he scowled murderously at the others, Sofia waltzed over to casually muse, "The hour is up anyway. I kept my end of the bargain, so none of you can say I'm not a woman of my word, right?" The others pretended to not hear her as they skedaddled into the house to not get anymore chastising from the fearsome Namekian warrior.

Meanwhile, Piccolo was struggling to keep his angry gaze level and not let his eyes wander to her hourglass figure, especially her inviting cleavage. Nostrils flaring, he turned on his heel and stalked away, muttering darkly to himself while the others cleared their throats or coughed through the awkwardness as they pretended to go busy themselves with some other task.

_Heh, guess that'll curb the pervy energy around here for a bit,_ Sofia sardonically thought, eyes twinkling mischievously as she watched Piccolo storm off for the isolation of the back of the beach house's yard.

"Oh well, if the fellas won't join you in a swim, care if I do?" Turtle congenially asked, smiling sweetly at her.

"Haha, that sounds fun. Let's go, Turtle!" Sofia chuckled and grabbed his flipper, leading him down to the shore before turning to call back out, "Gohan, come for a swim with us!"

Poking his head around from the back of the house, Gohan shouted, "Can I come out now?"

"Yeah! Quit being a genius and come relax. The water feels great!" Sofia shouted as she and Turtle swam out together.

Turning to glance at Piccolo, who was fumingly sitting in the lotus position under the closest palm tree, Gohan asked, "So it was just pervy staring? How is that anything new?"

Grunting, Piccolo grumbled, "Your mother wasn't fond of it when they'd do it to her or Bulma, so I'm sure she didn't want you witnessing it where Sofia was concerned…"

"Hahaha, that makes sense!" the demi-Saiyan laughed as he kicked off his shoes and ran towards the shore, shouting over his shoulder, "Let's spar later, Piccolo!"

Huffing, Piccolo crossed his arms tighter and grunted, "Sure, kid."

Leaping in the air as Sofia snapped her fingers and materialized orange swim trunks on him, Gohan did a cannonball into the water, splashing water over Sofia and Turtle.

After a while of swimming and horsing around, the two friends emerged from the water, helping Turtle shimmy back onto the shore to lounge in the warm sand of the beach, before Sofia materialized two beach towels for them to dry off with. Wrapping hers around her torso, she used a burst of ki to instantly dry herself off and tossed her hair back while Gohan cheekily asked, "Wanna go for a spar with Piccolo?"

"I'm sure your mom is going to want you to study, bud," Sofia smirked down at him as they walked over the still happily unconscious Master Roshi to head towards the house.

"That's right!" Gohan and Sofia flinched in their spots as Chi-Chi appeared at the porch, admonishing glare and foot impatiently tapping as she pressed her balled up fists against her hips and declared, "That's enough monkeying around, young man! Get your books and finish that last lesson before bed or NO dessert!"

"But mom, I want to spar with Piccolo later. Can't I?" Gohan whined meekly, frowning with a pout when his mother admonishing shook her head. "But—"

"I don't want to hear it, Gohan! Now move!" Clenching his teeth in anxious fear of his mother, Gohan sped away into the house to do exactly as he was told, leaving Chi-Chi and Sofia at the door. Glancing away, Sofia went to lope back to sit by the shore when Chi-Chi cleared her throat. "Thank you for sending Gohan up with some food earlier," she attempted tensely, brows furrowed in begrudging reticence. "I…made dinner for everyone," she pushed on, pausing when Sofia stoically glanced sidelong at her.

Smiling meekly, Sofia replied, "Cool…I'm not very hungry, so let Gohan have my plate?"

Nodding, Chi-Chi slowly frowned when Sofia began to walk away, but didn't reach out to her like she wanted after Sofia turned to walk along the small island's shore, dipping her toes in the water as she stared up at the stars above. Deciding to try and talk to her later, Chi-Chi grabbed the back of Master Roshi's collar and dragged the comically unconscious martial arts hero with her as she went back inside to preside over the kitchen and host the gluttonous ruffian friends of her husband.

Even though the sun was almost setting in the far off horizon, the stars were already peeking and twinkling like glitter overhead, lulling her into a semblance of calm as she continued to wander along the shore until she found her mind wandering over once again to Piccolo.

'…Are you still ignoring me?' she attempted over their telepathic rapport.

Finally, she felt a minute tug, as if his telepathic connection had engaged.

'I wasn't ignoring you.'

Pausing as she glanced over and saw him sitting under the palm tree, still fumingly surly, she turned away to gaze out on the tranquil ocean. 'Could've fooled me,' she replied coolly.

He watched as a delicate breeze blew the hem of the towel that was wrapped around her and stirred her hair to dance languidly behind her. His chest tightened as the rushing images of her being hurt flooded him over again. Part of him wanted nothing more than to scoop her into his arms and embrace her—to hold her against him and ensure that she would never be in danger ever again.

'Tell her, Piccolo.'

Snapping out of his brooding thoughts, Piccolo set his jaw and glanced away temperamentally. 'I told you to mind your damned business!'

'He's right, you know,' Nail chimed in, quickly following with, 'You saw she was only trying her best to help. No reason to sulk that she didn't handle things to your exacting standards—'

'She didn't handle them well at all, and you both know it,' he growled.

'You are not in the same position as her, Piccolo. She has insight into things that even you surely wouldn't be able to navigate seamlessly,' Kami mused firmly. 'What you consider reckless could be the only recourse she was afforded, under the circumstances.'

'I don't want to hear it, old man. Now would the two of you shut up so I can—'

Glancing back to where she had been standing, he realized she was gone. Looking around, he saw her footprints wander back towards the side of the house before they disappeared. _Goddammit…_

'You should've gone and talked to her,' Nail's tenor grumble made him grit his teeth. 'I'm pretty sure ignoring her hasn't done wonders for her temper either.'

'I was NOT ignoring her! I don't even know what she's mad about—'

'Wait, so you _didn't_ hear her calling out to you? Back in Gingertown?' Nail cut in, quizzical.

'No, Nail. Why the hell would I ignore her?!' Piccolo growled, earning a huff from the other Namekian.

'Oh…well, I heard her. While I was rolling through the chaos of your mind, I heard her telepathically calling to you…when you didn't answer, I assumed you were pointedly ignoring her,' Nail muttered tersely, feeling bad now that he hadn't mentioned it to Piccolo before.

Processing that, Piccolo brooded; realizing absorbing Kami's power and knowledge did a real number on all of them and must've created some form of turbulence over his telepathic rapport with Sofia. They'd been seamlessly tethered for so long that the prospect of being disconnected now made him feel reticent and unnerved.

Listening, Kami frowned, feeling responsible for the burgeoning strife between the twin stars. 'Drifting apart now is not the way to stave off the inevitable between you, Piccolo. Do not let your pride run interference for how you truly feel,' Kami murmured, trying not to anger Piccolo, but knowing it wasn't anything his younger counterpart wanted to hear. 'Being aloof and detached is going to cause real harm—'

'Now you're just being melodramatic,' Piccolo caustically scoffed. 'I know you two think I should preoccupy myself with the personal stuff between she and I, but if you've forgotten, we're sort of in the middle of imminent destruction here. We can both talk about our feelings when the Earth's fate isn't literally at stake,' he added with a surly huff, following in a commanding tone, 'The subject is closed. None of this is anything that should take precedent over the tasks at hand: Stopping Cell, and disabling those other Androids before Cell can get to them.'

In unison, the two other Namekians sighed, deciding it was futile to convince the stubborn warrior.

Content at the silence, Piccolo decided it was finally a good time to meditate and truly center himself after such a tumultuous series of events. _Those two and their penchant for hysterics is really going to get old at this rate…_

* * *

Sofia couldn't stand there in the deafening silence another minute. She felt like she was close to bursting at the seams already after such an overwhelming day, so when Piccolo didn't respond to her cool retort, she decided to just put some distance between them so they could both cool down.

With nowhere else to go, she'd levitated up to the second floor window and climbed into the bedroom where Goku was still unconsciously resting. Snapping her fingers to conjure a pair of black leggings and oversized gray hoodie, she went and sat next to his bedroll, and faced the window. Pulling her knees against her chest, she folded her arms over them and rested her chin against them as she stared at the night sky outside.

"…I'm sorry I wasn't more helpful today, buddy," she sighed, glancing over at Goku's resting countenance. "I wish I could've done more. Hell…I can't help feel like I _should've_ done more. I know everything that's supposed to happen…I could easily stop shit from happening, but I'm afraid…"

Fighting to swallow the hot lump in her throat that threatened to spill over into tears, she dug her pointed black nails into her arms as she took a sobering breath.

"I know you can hear me…and that you'd probably tell me to stop thinking like this if you could, but I really hated seeing you hurt. I could've prevented it…I-I could've _told_ you to take your heart pills. But I didn't…I know you succumbing to the virus was supposed to happen, but I didn't want it to," Sofia whispered angrily, sniffling and wiping at her nose with the back of her sleeve. "There's so much I could prevent, but what if I stop one thing and it causes something ten times worse to happen?"

Eyes glowing furiously, she gritted her jaw and shook the impulse to yell her internal turmoil out and instead buried her hot face in her folded arms.

"What if something terrible happens that's not supposed to and I can't stop it?"

When only the breeze outside answered her, Sofia shook her head and sighed fitfully. Deciding to swallow the rest of her anxious and acrimonious tension, she placed her hand on Goku's shoulder and huffed, "I promise to do better. I'll do everything in my power to not let anything off-the-rails bad happen…"

Standing, she quietly exited the room the way she came in, and floated up to the roof of the beach house, where she laid on her back and stared up at the night sky, letting her fitful mind calm until she fell asleep.

* * *

_It's a new day. And with the new day, it's time for a new tactic. No more wearing your heart on your sleeve, dammit!_

Sofia admonishingly cajoled more to herself as she tried to zone out the foreboding worry that weighed heavily around her. Unlike the last couple of days, she wanted to hone a sense of control and calm within herself, steeling her mind and emotions from the trappings of the anxiety and worry she'd been plagued by. Sitting on the couch now, she guided her thoughts into a calm detachment, not wanting to tip anyone off on the anticipation she felt on the eminent and imminent events that would transpire this day and into the next. Her hurt and resentment was stowed away, and she would be hard pressed to let it out now with the energy of worry buzzing amongst the others.

Being holed up at Kame House had begun to cause everyone to succumb to the foreboding tension of being cooped up and feeling the need and motivation to spend every opportunity training and sparring. Sofia had kept her distance from Piccolo, and he was too stubborn to approach her, let alone blow their cover now in front of the others. Instead, he relegated himself to training Gohan while Tien, Krillin and Yamcha occasionally sparred, honing their techniques while openly wondering if their efforts would truly contribute to the cause.

The difference in the morale amongst everyone from one day to the next was stark, and no one noticed it more acutely than Gohan. Tensions were running high, and a sense of seriousness was over everyone as they endeavored to pass the time more judiciously than the prior day. He'd woken up to find Sofia performing her unique telekinetic exercises out by the shore. Just as she moved her hands in the tai chi like sequence, the water she was controlling with her power floated and swayed about, mimicking her movements. She'd once told him this was the hardest thing for her to control with her telekinetic ability, so she would expressly train this way when she needed to center and quiet her mind. The effort it took to manipulate the water didn't allow for wandering thoughts of anxious worrying. Glancing at her now while the others argued about whether they should break into patrol teams to survey different places that Cell was likely to strike next, Gohan watched as she stoically sat on the couch and stared off towards the TV. She wasn't participating in the chatter, and her body language seemed to communicate that she would not weigh in, one way or the other.

The young demi-Saiyan wondered if there was anything that could be done to stop feeling so helpless and useless, but knew short of pressuring Sofia for intel, there was nothing they could do but wait. Avoiding pressuring her to divulge what was supposed to happen had become an exercise in patience for the other adults. He could sense they were hoping for any reprieve in their worrying, but one look at Piccolo's scrupulous glower when anyone would glance her way and hesitate to ask something was enough to silence the impulse. In the end, however, it was easy for them to thwart their impatience when they would catch her unguarded demeanor in the moments she'd thought she was alone, or was lost in thought. One look at the strain in her eyes and the ruminating pauses in her usually vibrant personality had been enough to remind them of the great responsibility, even burden, it must've been for her to deal with not being able to share what was to come with them.

Goku was still unconscious, adding to the anxiety amongst the seasoned fighters. Could they even manage to fend off Cell without him? Let alone defeat the Androids if they decided to drop in? These were concerns an almost 11 year-old should not worry about, but Gohan was beyond his years now after everything he'd experienced as the youngest fighter of the Z Warriors.

As the day began to progress, news reports of Cell devastating more towns, gobbling up the life force of anyone he crossed and adding to his bioenergy greedily, began to play with more frequency over the television. Piccolo glanced at Sofia now, while the others were distracted by the latest bulletin, to read her expression. Sitting with her knees pulled against herself, long dark hair swept over one shoulder; he saw her eyes harden, as if she could sense his gaze. She knew what he was doing, and put up that stoic countenance she only reserved for when she wanted to keep everyone – even him – out.

The reports on Cell's rampages hit critical mass all over the news with an emergency bulletin reporting he was close, and not only that, he was going unchecked in his cruelty as it was announced he was currently on the move in South City, disappearing the populace and striking fear throughout the region.

Springing into action, Piccolo had rallied the others to rush into the hover jet to bring the fight to Cell. He'd expected Sofia to jump right in as well, but when she remained sitting on the couch, knees pulled against her chest as she stared stoically at the television, he finally relented and tugged their telepathic rapport, muttering, 'You have to stay?'

Nodding, she didn't direct her gaze at him and instead responded in an earnest tone, "Someone needs to stay here and watch over Goku in case anyone shows up out of the blue. You should go without me."

"Right. That makes sense to me. Let's go, guys!" Yamcha responded and rushed out to the hover jet, followed by Tien and Krillin.

Piccolo was about to prod her again when Gohan interrupted, "You coming, Piccolo?"

"Yeah…let's go," the Namekian warrior scowled, turning to follow his young friend to the waiting hover jet.

When they all took off, Sofia glanced out the window and sighed.

From the kitchen doorway, Chi-Chi watched her pensively. Her heart was heavy with guilt and regret from having taken out her grief on her days before. She'd already been teetering on wanting to apologize to her, but after listening at the door the night before and hearing the repressed sadness and pain she'd been holding inside herself, the raven-haired woman felt compelled to push herself to make amends with her friend.

"Hey, Sofia? Can you give me a hand in the kitchen?"

"Huh?" blinking wide-eyed out of her ruminations, Sofia turned towards the petition. "Yeah sure," she replied coolly as she stood and went into the kitchen, expecting a mountain of dishes needing to be washed and dried.

Instead, Chi-Chi was just prepping a large pot filled with water. "Listen…I know it's been completely crazy with all this dangerous cyborg stuff and monsters who drain people and all the rest, but I've been meaning to talk to you, and—"

"What's cooking in here, ladies?" Master Roshi interrupted as he sauntered into the kitchen in his iconic, laid back gi jacket and slacks, goofy smile plastered on his face as he wiggled his eyebrows at them.

Fuming, Chi-Chi was about to snap at him when a sudden lurch went through the small beach house, tossing her to the side and throwing the water-filled pot in the air to crash over the legendary martial arts master's head while Sofia fell out of her chair and landed on her rear.

"Aaaah!" Chi-Chi shouted in alarm before yelling, "Don't tell me those freaking Androids are here! Oh no—Goku!"

Rushing upstairs, the harried woman hopped over Master Roshi, who recovered to quickly follow her as well, panicked that his wonderful beach house was about to be decimated. Snorting to herself, Sofia got up and went outside, racing down the porch to see Goku in mid energy blast out by the shore.

The sense of relief to seeing him on his feet washed over the red-eyed woman with such force that she rushed over and tackled the Saiyan when he turned halfway around. "Hey Sofi—aaack!"

Glomping him into the ground, Sofia quickly picked him up and held him above her head like a prized plush doll as she squealed, "You're all right! I was so worried!"

Laughing happily, Goku just let himself be tossed up and down before noticing Chi-Chi at the window of the bedroom he'd snuck out of. "Goku!" She leapt out and landed seamlessly before sprinting over and standing in front of him, overwhelmed with joy that he was standing before her after Sofia put him down and comically slid out of the way.

While the married couple had their sweet reunion, Sofia stood off to the side and ended up unceremoniously catching Master Roshi in her arms when the old man fell out of the window and almost face planted into her cleavage. Rolling her eyes, she dropped him to crash onto the grass.

Once Goku assured them he was back to normal health wise, he clarified that he was still no match for either the Androids or Cell. Going back upstairs to get fully dressed, he'd explained needing to fire up his training, and wanting to take Gohan along with him to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber where they could both get a year's worth of training in just one day in order to reach a level beyond Super Saiyan, Chi-Chi relented and agreed. "Just promise me that once this is all over, Gohan can go back to studying!"

"Uh, yeah, sure thing, Chi-Chi!" Goku smiled good-naturedly, before glancing over at Sofia as he pulled his orange gi top over his head. "Hey, I know I didn't get a chance to say it before seeing as I got knocked out of commission by the virus, but thanks for using that Jump-Start energy technique of yours. I don't think I would've made it if I didn't get the energy boost to Instant Transmission us home and take the medicine," Goku offered with a kind smile.

"Don't mention it. After all, I pretty much stole the idea for it from you," Sofia grinned, earning an astonished stare from Goku.

"You did?!" the powerful fighter genuinely gaped at her.

"Yeah! Remember back on Namek? When you gave Frieza that boost of ki? I figured I could develop a technique like that, but more concentrated so it would act as a reserve charge of your own energy instead of it being my borrowed energy," she explained simply, causing Master Roshi to balk while Chi-Chi just seemed confused by the premise.

"That level of ki manipulation is quite advanced! Definitely something you should let a master like me help you hone a little more, ehhhh?" Roshi cooed with a perverted expression on his face before Chi-Chi bonked him on the head, hard.

"She humored you MORE than enough already, you dirty old man!"

Goku laughed in that silly irreverent way of his while Sofia tried not to giggle. "Hey – speaking of honing stuff more, we gotta go!" the haphazardly spiky-haired fighter declared, finishing suiting up before turning to Sofia. "We gotta make a couple of stops, but I have an idea of where we can go and get all the training we'll need in just a day," he offered before adding, "Oh, and don't worry—I have a pretty good feeling about what I should and shouldn't do, so I won't bug you asking for details like the other guys have."

Blinking at him, Sofia arched her brows. "Oh, that's right: you were listening and able to sense everything while you were out, right?"

"Yep! But anyway, I don't think we should be second guessing ourselves and expecting you to like, point us in the right direction. If something bad happens that shouldn't happen, you'll just warn us," Goku explained his simple, yet eerily intuitive rationale.

Sofia always found it disarming how brilliant he could be without seeming to have it in him. "That's cool with me—"

"Either way, I'd probably just forget to ask you that stuff anyway, so no need to worry about it, heheheh," he replied in that iconic frivolous way of his, earning Sofia to face plant to the ground.

Phasing to goofily sit on his shoulders and bonk him on the head repeatedly, Sofia barked, "Oh my god! You better believe if I tell you something, it'll be super important and something you absolutely posi-fucking-tively CANNOT forget about, you got that, Kakarot!?"

"Ow-ow-owwww! Ok, ok! I promise to pay attention when you tell me, but you gotta make sure to warn me and say 'this is SUPER important, Goku!' so I know to make an effort in remembering," Goku cheekily retorted and grinned impishly at Sofia when she hopped off his shoulders and glared until her eyes glowed preternaturally crimson at him.

"Hmph. Good! Now let's go get Gohan," she groused, eyes becoming narrowed comical dots as she flung her small and trusty backpack onto one shoulder, side stepped to stand next to him and grabbed his shoulder.

"Okay! See yah later, Chi-Chi," he offered sweetly before raising his index and middle finger to his forehead and using Instant Transmission to wink him and Sofia out of sight.

Wistfully sighing, Chi-Chi stood by the window and prayed that her wonderful husband would return to her soon.

"Welp! Now that they're gone, how 'bout some lunch, eh Chi-Chi?" Master Roshi declared boastingly, a twinkle in his sunglass framed eyed in the hopes of having the fearsome yet culinary maven all to himself.

"Ugh…fine, but you stay OUT of the kitchen while I cook and no funny business, or I'll knock all the sense back into your pervy head, old man!"

* * *

Piccolo was brooding while the others continued the idle chatter on the airship as they flew for the latest city Cell was rumored to be causing havoc. Sitting in the lotus position with his arms tightly crossed, he didn't understand why it bothered him that Sofia chose to stay back this time, especially when all he'd wanted was for her to stay out of the fray to begin with.

'It's because she's giving you the cold shoulder…' Nail trailed off, needling him to internally scowl.

'She's not…I've seen what getting the icy treatment from her is really like, remember?' he bit back with a surly grunt. 'And anyway, stop eavesdropping on my thoughts!'

'Stop thinking so loudly then,' Nail shot back in an aloof tone. 'You really should make an effort and carve out some time for the two of you to talk things through…and maybe do a little more than just talking,' his tenor tone trailed off with a goading lilt to it, earning a humored grunt from Kami.

Growling, Piccolo snapped, 'Now that you two old maids are stuck in my head, I cringe to wonder how I could ever be able to _truly_ be alone with her like that again—and I told you the subject was fucking closed, Nail—'

'Yes, yes, sure it is, but we both know you can't stop thinking about it, so why do we have to suffer your surly temper when you should just go and smooth things over with your twin star and relieve the tension and stress you BOTH clearly have bottled up—'

'Is it really prudent to have this argument?' Kami cut in, awed that they would both bicker so openly while Piccolo was around the others on the way to cross paths with the horrific monster from the future.

'I can't believe I'm going to say this, but the old man's right, so shut up, Nail!' Piccolo groused.

'Is there really a need to be so rude, Piccolo? After all, we're all in this together, so why not try and get along?' Kami muttered crisply, earning Nail's amused grunt.

'Oh for fuck's sake...' Piccolo grumbled darkly, his exasperation about to boil over when Goku and Sofia suddenly materialized in the middle of the airship right in front of him. "Uh—Goku?!"

"Yeah, I wish he was here now," Krillin sighed longingly while the others balked at the Saiyan's sudden arrival.

"Dad!" Gohan called out, eyes brimming with emotion as he ran over and starred devotedly up at his father.

Sofia smiled at the scene and made sure to side step away from Goku just as Krillin turned and realized his best friend was indeed conjured out of thin air in the middle of the ship, looking his normal, happy-go-lucky self. "GOKU!" the former monk rushed his friend and tackled him in such a warm hug that they smashed out the back of the airship, leaving a comical hole that they quickly ended up patching up with duct tape and industrial grade sealant before everyone settled down and merrily greeted their friend.

Gohan's eyes were brimming with tears as Goku affectionately ruffled his wild raven hair. "It's ok, Gohan. Everything's going to be fine now," Goku chimed reassuringly.

"Ah, so THIS is why you wanted to stay back at Kame House, Sofia?" Krillin asked the tall red-eyed woman, who returned his inquisitive expression with a rueful smile.

"Yep—had to make sure Goku would wake up, and if he didn't, that someone was around to cover him," she explained, earning a raised brow ridge from Piccolo.

Goku was staring curiously over at Piccolo for a brief moment before suddenly greeting, "Hey, Kamiccolo!"

The Namekian warrior practically fell forward from mortification at the moniker. "Hmph—we combined our powers, NOT our names, so just stick with Piccolo, if you know what's good for you," Piccolo tersely remarked, scowling at the perpetually jovial fighter and former archrival.

"Hahah, ok then Piccolo, heheheh—"

"Alright, that's enough," he grumbled, glancing at Sofia as she shook her head in amusement. "What's got you teleporting here all of a sudden?"

"Good question…so I hate to say it, but there's no way I'm able to beat those Androids OR Cell at my current strength—they're too strong, so I want to take Gohan to do some training to that place we can do a year's worth of training in a day," Goku sobered and proposed, earning everyone but Piccolo and Sofia's astonishment at the prospect.

"I get it. You want to go back up to the Lookout and into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Clever, but thinking you can to last a whole year in that place? You didn't fare well the last time you tried, what makes you think you can succeed now," Piccolo mused.

"I'm going to take Vegeta and Trunks too. I'm pretty sure we have what it takes to handle it now," Goku retorted with a confident smile on his face.

"Are you going to come too, Sofia?" Gohan inquired.

"Nah, I'll tag along with you guys to get Vegeta and Trunks, but I gotta hang around on the outside of the chamber. Plus, I've already done my training in there," Sofia answered coolly, earning a grunt of wonder from Tien.

"Wait, you've trained on the Lookout before?!" the triclops asked while Krillin and Yamcha blinked in shock.

"Yeah! It's a long story, but I could only hack it for roughly 6 months in there. It's how Piccolo was able to train me to be the oh-so-bodacious fighter you see before you," Sofia retorted and goofily did a little spin before posing in a flirty sidelong angle before zipping into a fighting stance and smirking at them.

"Whoa…" the three human fighters hummed while Piccolo gritted his jaw.

"Enough with all the chatter! If you're gonna go, do it now then. Cell is out there absorbing entire cities. His power is getting stronger by the minute. If we let him absorb Androids 17 and 18, he'll become unstoppable. It'll be all over, so hurry and get to training," Piccolo cut in tersely.

"Alright then," Goku took Gohan's hand while Sofia placed hers on his shoulder, and was about to wink out of sight when Krillin stopped him.

"Wait, Goku. Are you really sure about this? We're about to fight the toughest foes since Frieza, and you seem totally cool with it," the former monk mused, hands gesturing at his sides. "What gives?"

"Well, I guess I don't think it's anything we can't handle, Krillin. At least we'll find out one way or another, right?" Goku congenially replied before nodding his farewell and winking out of sight with Sofia and Gohan.

"Damn, wish I could be that nonchalant and confident at the prospect of going extinct," Tien mused ruefully out loud, crossing his arms while Yamcha blew a raspberry and continued piloting the jet.

"Hey, if Goku's confident, then that means we have a real shot at beating these guys and winning," Krillin offered, having faith in his dearest friend.

Piccolo listened to the other fighters chat and wax endearingly about the dense savior of the Earth while he went back to brooding.

* * *

As the three fighters suddenly appeared before an ascending plateau out in an arid range of jagged mountains and deserted gorges, they surprised Trunks, who'd been sitting begrudgingly on the literal sideline, waiting for his mercurial father to acknowledge him while he stood at the edge of the plateau in a baleful stare off with the elements.

"Whoa! Goku? You're okay?!"

Jumping up to greet the sudden arrivals, the lavender-haired demi-Saiyan stared at Sofia while she snickered at Goku's estimation of the moody attitude of his former foe and best buddy Vegeta. The blue-eyed fighter was cataloguing her ability to fit in and still standout amongst the other fighters. From her high-waisted, formfitting blue jeans with contouring black stripe that tapered along the outer seam of the jeans down to the brown biker boots that were exact replicas to the ones Android 18 had worn days before, to the violet long-thumbhole sleeved crop-top with mesh panel shoulders and block orange colored striping along the inseam of the sleeves, down the sides of her torso and along the round neck collar – she stood out like some statuesque dark-haired and tan complexioned beauty, but her crimson red eyes, pointed black nails and fangy grin set her decided apart from normal Terran females. Kami knew she didn't fight like any other woman he'd ever seen.

_I really gotta ask her about where she's from_ , the blue-eyed demi-Saiyan though distractedly to himself before her gaze caught his, causing him to freeze when she leaned over to Goku and sardonically chimed, "I think you should go talk to Vegeta before he gets hernia from standing up there much longer."

"Heheheheheh, that would be an amazing way for him to get sidelined from these battles, huh!" the orange-clad fighter chortled before remarking to Trunks, "I take it not much training has been happening, huh."

"Tch, what training. All he's been doing in standing up there and not acknowledging my existence…" Trunks muttered tersely. "That's after I tried to talk to him and he told me to get lost; that I would only slow him down."

"Well, that's typical Vegeta for yah. If I had to guess, he's probably trying to will himself to ascend. Don't worry, I'll go talk to him," Goku congenially mused before levitating upwards to approach the mercurial prince.

"Hm, I always assumed he was image training up there, but maybe Goku's right and he's just been internally yelling at himself to get stronger, heheh," Sofia sardonically joked, causing Gohan to stifle a giggle against his forearm at the mental image.

"Hah, yeah…so what's Goku's plan? I know he wouldn't show up to try and convince my father to train without one," Trunks inquired.

"Your mom told you about The Lookout, right?" when the lavender-haired fighter nodded, she continued, "Well we're going there. There's a room with an altered space and time called The Hyperbolic Time Chamber, where spending 1 year in there is actually only 1 day out here, so it's the perfect way for all of you to get enough training to surpass your current Super Saiyan level."

"Whoa! Is that really possible? That sounds amazing!" Trunks marveled, blue eyes wide as she nodded and smiled. "So, we're all going to go train together?"

"Eh," Sofia made a buzzard sound and held out her arms in an X symbol before adding in a chipper lilt, "Unfortunately only 2 people can enter it at a time – technically – so you guys will have to pair off."

"Ok…so that means…wait," Trunks' eyes comically shrank to pinpoints.

"Yep – you and your Daddy are going to spend real quality time together! Don't that sound nice?" Sofia sweetly chimed and batted her eyes wistfully.

A dark, moody cloud came over Trunks as he bowed his head and chuckled nervously. "Heh-heh-sure…"

"Yikes…he doesn't seem very excited," Gohan offered as an aside to Sofia.

"Well, he needs to GET enthused! C'mon, Trunks – you're a loner, he's a loner, and surly, and mean…and withholding, and snarky, and—well, you'll have plenty of time to get to know each other while training! It's a win-win," she declared in a beaming tone, adding, "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger, buddy!"

Sweatdropping, Trunks smiled nervously. "I'm sure he'll try to prove that adage, for real…"

* * *

Using Instant Transmission to arrive at the center courtyard of The Lookout, the fighters were greeted by Mr. Popo, who took them up to the entrance of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. As they walked up the steps towards the second level walkway leading to the chamber's door, the ebony genie explained how the chamber worked, the amenities it possessed, and remarked, "And it's quite different than when you stayed in it, Sofia, but since you won't be entering, it will remain with one dimensional threshold."

"Wait, you trained in there, stealth?" Vegeta inquired in his gruff tone.

"Yep! I didn't do the full year, though," Sofia replied, hands folded behind her back as she walked. Giving him a sidelong glance, she added, "The chamber's palace was configured differently then to account for my being from a different dimension. There was a threshold that subdivided the chamber: one side like this realm, the other like my old one. It helped condition my evolution from the human I once was to what I am now. Don't worry – you both won't have the kind of growing pains I went through though."

Absorbing that information, Trunks asked, "So, you changed—transformed physically?" When she glanced with a raised brow at his meaning, he flubbed, "I-I just mean you didn't always look like this—I mean have the power and abilities you have now?"

Vegeta rolled his eyes behind Sofia, arms crossed as he walked and watched his son from the future absolutely bomb with women. _This stammering is pathetic…chalk it up to not having the proper role model. Or the future being so fucked there's no damn women around to flirt with…_ the mercurial prince grumbled to himself, shaking his head.

"Sofia looked like a regular human when she first arrived in our realm. She transformed into her true form after putting her body under the strain it needed to undergo in order to evolve and achieve her hidden power," Gohan jumped in and answered for Sofia.

Even though Goku had heard it all before, he was just as wide eyed as Trunks. "That's right! She's the reincarnation of a demon lady from our realm from like a super long time ago, and once she came to our dimension she was able to regain the form and strength of her past life, and that's her now,"Goku chimed in, adding, "Best part is, in her old dimension, she studied ours and knows everything that's supposed to happen, so she's able to help us out and watch for any weird changes in how events are supposed to happen and help stop things going bad, or getting worse than they originally should."

Vegeta grunted. Just when he thought things couldn't get more fanciful and weird with this ragtag crew of Earth-based fighters, the words 'reincarnated' and 'demon woman' were getting thrown around like it was just a common origin. Considering he'd only come to Earth for dragon balls, aka magic orbs that when assembled, summon a talking dragon that grants a wish, he figured it was par for the course. "Fascinating backstory. Still doesn't mean she was strong enough to withstand a full year in this magical chamber you're taking us to. Even so, I still doubt stealth's ability to ascend to any level of strength to match that of a Super Saiyan. Probably just end up on the sidelines, or getting in our way," he acerbically jabbed, smirking arrogantly when she stopped and turned on her heel to glance at him.

"Oh, I didn't stay the full year because I sensed Frieza coming with his daddy to get some retribution for turning him into a computerized tool," she retorted wickedly, adding, "And if you remember, this dude right here's who eviscerated freaky Freezers in the blink of an eye, like it was mere child's play. If not for him, ya'll would've been space dust. Not to mention I was the one in an Android three-way battle while youz were knocked out cold on the literal sidelines. But sure—if you make it the full year AND ascend to the next level of Super Saiyan, I'll do a jiggly dance for you before we _finally_ spar so we can measure more than your ego," she declared and flashed her viciously pointed fangs at him before moonwalking backwards and spinning dramatically to pose and gesture at the large wooden door that lead into the Hyperbolic Chamber. "Now, _get in there_ and quit playin', Vegetakins!"

Eyes comically wide with mortification, the others turned to glance at Vegeta as his scowl only darkened. When he shot a glare at Goku, the Saiyan giggled irreverently, trying to ease the tension. "Well, you DID want to go in first, right Vegeta? I know you're eager to get a jumpstart on your training," the jovial fighter offered with a goofy smile.

Trunks was trying to suppress the blush tinting his cheekbones as Sofia's compliment played in his mind while Gohan looked on at the weird glance the lavender-haired fighter gave Sofia, who was now chiming, "Ah, don't give me that scowl! You jab, and I slash back. Nothing more than talkin' shit, I say. I know you only kid and rib cuz yah care, Vegeta," she grinned as she did a silly happy dance with her feet before sliding to backpedal towards him, swaying and undulating around him as she sing-sung, "Look at that mug. Who can stay mad at this guy!"

Eyeing her disarmingly silly behavior before snorting, despite himself, Vegeta huffed with repressed humor, "You're one weird broad, you know that?"

"I do—quite well, mon ami," she replied and gave him a wily grin before moonwalking seamlessly to stand with Goku, who was chuckling goofily at the display.

"Well no time like the present, right?" Goku remarked and glanced at Mr. Popo, who opened the door to the chamber and gestured for them to enter.

Grunting, Vegeta loped towards the door, passing the taller Saiyan just as he said, "Take care of Vegeta, Trunks!" Scoffing at that, Vegeta entered the chamber without a second glance over his shoulder.

"Thanks, Goku," Trunks offered in a raspy tone as he followed his father.

"Good luck, Trunks! Remember, it's quality AND training time," Sofia remarked and waved at him eagerly as he nervously smiled and waved goodbye while the door shut closed, beginning his full year of training in a day with his surly father. "Poor kid's gonna need tons of patience," she sighed comically and suddenly put Gohan in a headlock as she ruffled his hair and playfully growled, "Soon you will be in the chamber becoming an ultimate freaking badass toooooooo!"

"Heeheeheehee, that's definitely the plan," Goku remarked while Gohan giggled at the onslaught and tried to thwart Sofia's playful roughhousing. "Now, to just wait our turn," he declared, and as if on cue, his stomach growled loudly. "Oh man, I forgot—I'm totally staaaaarving~!"

"I have just the thing for that! You three wait here and I'll bring out supper," Mr. Popo stated congenially, and soon returned with a heaping bounty of food that he unrolled as if by magic from a long, exotic-patterned carpet. The spread was covered with all kinds of foods and beverages to drink.

Goku's eyes were gleaming with joy at the sight of food, while Gohan merrily went to sit and dig into the meal alongside his famished father. Sofia shook her head ruefully at the sight before sitting across from them and looking along the buffet of dishes for what to pick before spotting something that made her eyes bulge wide. "OH. MY. GOD. Are those EMPANADAS?!" she dove and picked up the platter, smelling the delicious aroma that wafted up to her nose.

"Yes! I peeked into your mind for dishes you might like, and those seemed very intriguing to prepare," the ebony genie stated pleasantly.

Hearts took over her eyes as she stared at the meat-filled turnovers before offering the platter to the quizzical father and son duo. "You guys gotta try these! I haven't had an empanada since I was back in my old realm!"

Picking up an empanada each, they both bit into it and instantly were overcome by the delicious flavors. Greedily grabbing another set in each hand and munching them in unison, Goku chewed and mouthed, "Dis ish delicious!"

Sofia bit into hers and nodded vigorously in agreement before giving Mr. Popo a high-five. "If I die tomorrow, put a plate of these on my grave, please! Hahaha," she giggled with silly humor. The comment caused Gohan to pause in his next bite to contemplate the thought.

"Will any of us die in the battle against the Androids and Cell?"

Disarmed by the question, Sofia paused and stared with crimson eyes practically as rounded as his father's. She realized in that moment how flippant she was being at the concept of death around such a young person, who had already seen plenty of death to scar him for life. Putting her meal down, she reached over and placed her hand reassuringly on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry for being an ignorant jackass, Gohan! I should've been WAY more considerate with how I speak, and not say stupid shit like that all the time," she lamented and genuinely frowned. "I know you've been through so much more in your short life than I have, and you're like, half my freaking age! I wasn't thinking at all…"

"I know what you meant. It was just a figure of speech, but I-I was just curious…thinking about it, the last time we fought anyone as bad as Cell even, it was Frieza…" Gohan explained, brows furrowing in reminder of the trauma and loss he'd felt on Namek and for over a year after, not knowing if his father would ever come home.

Goku sat and watched Sofia's walls come down completely as she listened to Gohan, and knew she was sensing and feeling the stress and anxiety his son would naturally feel at the prospect of once again facing certain doom, let alone the loss of his friends and family again. He'd noticed how she had an overwhelming level of empathy than any other person he'd ever met, and assumed she had such a tough and sarcastic exterior to hide and shield herself from being bombarded by the feelings of others. In that moment, seeing her feel for his son, he realized how sensitive she really was, and he cherished it.

"Gohan," Goku murmured. When his son looked at him, he continued in an earnest tone, "Everything is going to be all right. All we can do is train, and do our best. We can't expect or ask any more of anyone else. I know everyone has put a lot of hope in Sofia knowing stuff and possibly intervening if things go haywire, but we can't burden her either. I know you're scared," he paused and affectionately ruffled his hair, "but just know that I will always protect you, and your mother. You mean everything to me, and if you have someone you feel that way about, nothing will beat you!"

Sniffling, Gohan rushed over and threw himself into Goku's arms, giving him the most loving hug he could muster. Glancing over at Sofia, the legendary hero saw her eyes were shimmering with unshed tears, small smile tugging on her curvy lips.

"I understand. I'll do my best, Dad!" Gohan declared, sniffling and smiling through his tears as he grinned up at his father.

"Damn well you will." He turned to see the teasing smile on Sofia's features as she sat in the lotus position and unconsciously mimicked the way Piccolo would look at him when he was proud of him. "Now if we're done with the emo moment, sit and finish eating before the food gets cold," she affectionately scolded and went back to eating.

The three fighters continued their meal and chatted merrily about frivolous anecdotes, filling Goku in on the stray happenings that had occurred while he was unconscious, settling in for the long wait until Trunks and Vegeta emerged from their day of training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.

After Mr. Popo cleared the magical carpet with the empty plates and serving trays, they each went about relaxing and waiting in anticipation for the day to count down until the chamber door would open. While Goku and Gohan were content to literally sit there and wait on pins and needles for the other father-son duo to emerge, she excused herself to wander down the walkway, the staircases and out into the sprawling courtyard outside the Lookout's palace.

Wandering in a casual lope along the courtyard in route for the edge, she couldn't help worry about Piccolo, wondering how he was doing after such a tumultuous few days. She'd never considered that they would end up out of sync, let alone arguing almost constantly. When she thought about it, the last time they'd even really spoken for more than a few clipped, curt statements was right at the spot she was standing in – at the edge of the Lookout. _Holy shit, how does that feel like it was ages ago!_ She thought forlornly, hair whipping about as the air currents collided and created a new breeze unique to the ecosystem that surrounded the mystical palace in the sky.

Closing her eyes, she decided it wouldn't hurt to reach out and check in with him. Concentrating, she let her mind reach out to him, until she felt the uncanny sensation of reaching his rapport. Strumming it, she projected tentatively, 'Piccolo?'

For a moment, she waited and didn't realize her heart was beating with an anxious worry until she felt that tethered sensation of when their telepathic link engaged.

'Is something wrong? Did you make it to the Lookout? I couldn't sense the others—'

'We did, everyone is just suppressing their ki signatures indefinitely to make sure Cell doesn't decide to track anyone down. You guys should definitely be doing the same if you're not already,' she replied, exhaling the breath she'd been holding until she felt him.

'It's a little tough to do that when we're flying around trying to hunt this bastard down…' he tersely muttered. 'Cell absorbed almost all the small towns in and around South City before sneaking off again. It's like we're one step behind him ever damned time!' He huffed before changing his tone as he shifted to another subject. 'So Goku and Gohan are in the chamber, which is good—'

'Uhh, no. Vegeta and Trunks went in first,' she replied, sensing he was going to have a problem with that, but not sure why.

'What the hell? Why?! I thought the whole point was for Goku and Gohan to train to immediately surpass that damned Super Saiyan level so we can find Cell and take him out! Hell—Gohan hasn't even BECOME a Super Saiyan yet,' he scoffed, his tone gruff and aggravated.

'Whoa, chill, would yah?! That's how it's supposed to go—'

'Don't tell me to _chill_ ,' he growled warningly, catching her off guard and causing her hackles to rise. 'Goku's been out of commission for almost 3 damned days, and he forfeits being first to train in the chamber?! What the hell was the point then?'

'The point is that you don't know a goddamned thing that's supposed to happen, so why are you acting like we're fucking up your itinerary?' she snapped in a haughty tone. 'Goku convinced Vegeta to tag along by agreeing to let him and Trunks train in the chamber first, and since you MUST know, that's SUPPOSED to happen.'

Sitting in the middle of the living room of Kame House in the lotus position while the others sparred outside, Piccolo crossed his arms tighter and set his jaw as he began to absolutely fume. Just when he was about to lose his temper, Kami chimed over the central bridge, 'Don't say something you'll regret, Piccolo…'

Nail added in quickly with a tenor plea, 'You're frustrated, rightfully so, about Cell slithering about, but don't take it out on her!'

Exhaling slowly out of his nose, Piccolo counted to 5 until he felt his temper cool long enough to instead reply to Sofia with a level gravely grumble, 'Fine. If that's what's supposed to happen, then good…'

Digging her nails into her palms, Sofia stomped around and shook her clenched fists in impotent exasperation, seething her rage between clenched teeth before she shook it off and combed her hands through her long hair. Feeling the tantrum calmed, she instead replied, 'You want me to tell you the itinerary? If that will help—'

'No, don't. As long as everything is occurring as it should, then we're good—'

'Oh my god, stop saying 'good'! I know you're frustrated and pissed off and want nothing more than to bash Cell's stupid smug fugly face into atoms with a Special Beam Cannon, but you can't and you're mad about Gingertown, so just fucking say _that_ and stop skirting the issue,' Sofia seethed in that pitiless tone he hadn't heard her use in ages.

'…She's got you there, Piccolo…' Kami mused, while Nail grunted in agreement.

'…I don't want to talk about Gingertown, Sofia. It's done, we're here now, and there's no use in harping on it,' he responded in a hard tone, wanting her to drop it. 'And yes, I want to annihilate that overgrown bug, so the longer we're stuck waiting until the Saiyan cavalry arrives, the more time Cell has to absorb innocents and hunt down Androids 17 and 18. If you're saying everything is goo—happening accordingly, then the waiting game is necessary,' he continued, more diplomatically.

"Hmph," she grunted tersely to herself, crossing her arms and leaning her weight on one hip as she let his answer weigh on her. 'When _are_ we going to talk about it—?'

'Not today.'

Huffing at that, she pressed, 'So you trust me to know what I'm doing, and that _when_ I'm doing it is necessary as well?' When she heard him scoff, she challenged, 'Are you going to keep giving me grief and pushback whenever I'm around and need to intervene?' Her tone was undiplomatic, not caring that she sounded apathetic either way to whatever argument he had against her rationale to date.

'I already told you I trust you—'

'That's not what I asked.'

Growling to himself, Piccolo knew what he wanted to say would only cause a huge argument, but knew she would know if he was bullshitting her. 'That's the answer that should matter to you. I trust you, Sofia…'

A long pause rung, and he thought he'd pissed her off.

'Are you being testy with me for strutting around on the beach in front of the guys yesterday?' she asked in a disarming drawl.

Piccolo face-faulted to the floor at that. Sitting back in the lotus position and gripping his turban-clad head as a temper vein popped to life on his temple, he barked, 'Why the hell were you prancing around half naked in front of ANYONE to begin with?! And why're you asking what I think about it NOW and not _before_ you did it!?'

'It was a stupid promise I made in the heat of a stressful moment to get Roshi to skip the lecherous stuff in exchange for me letting him perv out later. It was stupid and I figured you wouldn't care—' she explained matter-of-factly before Piccolo growled in displeasure.

'You figured _wrong_. Seeing all their tongues wagging while you flounced out the water in I-don't-know-what kind of swimsuit that was…' he trailed off when he heard her giggle. 'It's NOT funny. If I catch them staring at you like that again, they're all getting a Special Beam Cannon enema—!'

'Jeez! They've seen more from Bulma flashing them by accident. There's no need for you to be jealous, babe,' she teased in that smoky tone that sent his pulse to spike and his teeth on edge.

'Don't 'babe' me…' he groused, scowling as he continued in a grumble, 'How'd you feel if the tables were turned—'

'And YOU were coming out of the water in a pink banana hammock for everyone to gape at? I would LOVE it! I'd lean back and tell 'em, "Yo! See that tall piece of sex walking out the water? He's _mine_. You can look, but you can't touch!" Hahaha,' she quipped and giggled sultrily, causing him to blush and sweat at the thought. 'Oh c'mon, you know I'd love it…hell, if we could even find a G-string able to fit that big, thick, di—'

"Hey, Piccolo! Do you wanna join our spar so we can train in pairs? Might be good to come up with some duo combos in case we need to fight in formation?" Krillin called through the open window and startled Piccolo, who flinched and froze in place.

Looking over his weighted cape canopied shoulder at the former monk, he coughed and answered in a firm baritone, "Yeah, sure…I'll be right out."

"Cool! Hey Yamcha, wanna pair off, for old time's sake?" Krillin called out as he walked back down to the edge of the front lawn and shore.

'You're incorrigible, you know that?' Piccolo muttered in that haughty way of his when he was flustered and trying to hide it.

'You only tell me almost every day,' she snickered sultrily over their rapport.

'Feh…just keep your clothes on until we're alone again, would yah?' he muttered derisively as he stood, stopping himself from getting hot and bothered by her teasing. 'The others want to spar…'

'Hmmm, as if I'd want to get buck naked for anyone else but you,' she purred, causing his blood to warm. 'Have a good spar, sexy,' she impishly murmured before pulling her telepathic connection back and going quiet.

Piccolo shook his head ruefully as he headed out to the porch. 'Neither of you heard any of that…right?' he attempted aloofly.

'…Which part?' Nail quipped noncommittally.

'Don't worry, Piccolo. We were busying ourselves with other diversions…' Kami chimed diplomatically instead.

'Ugh…we gotta find a way to put my conversations with her on some kind private mode or something—'

'Well telepathic dirty talk is out of the range of stimuli that would naturally create the 'privacy' shroud that comes up on your side of the bridge when you two get 'hot and heavy', as she refers to it,' Nail humorously mused.

'…Just forget I even said anything...' Piccolo grumbled as he stalked over to join the others in their spar session.

* * *

As their waiting advanced through the night and into the next morning, the three fighters waiting on the Lookout patiently steeled themselves to the next steps of their path towards the roles and responsibilities they were prepared to shoulder.

Goku and Gohan stat on the walkway across from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber door, waiting for the other father-son duo to exit, while still sensing the minute energy level changes occurring down on the Earth below. Every so often, it would feel as if the humming of human energy clusters would dim before fading out of sight. They'd learned what such a terrible sensation meant, and used it to fuel their temerity to become stronger.

Meanwhile, Sofia did _not_ have the quiet patience of her two friends, so she attempted to drown out the ominous sensation and dread caused by Cell's absorption of innocents by the city-load in the only way she could successfully detach herself.

Glancing over at her, Gohan watched as she sat in the lotus position in the middle of the walkway. Eyes closed and head bowed, her fingertips would idly thrum against her biceps every so often. The headphones over her ears were blaring something that his mother once referred to as "Hell's mood music!" when she'd mistakenly unplugged the headphones from the boombox they'd been connected to once.

Walkman resting on her lap, she listened to the music for a very long time, keeping the particular album on a loop.

"Man, that stuff sounds really angry and aggressive, huh," Goku remarked, stirring Gohan from his thoughts.

"Yeah, but it helps her center her thoughts. She once told me death metal calms her down, but it's definitely heavier than the other music she listens to when she trains by herself sometimes," Gohan retorted, glancing up at his father as he added, "If she's listening to it now…"

"She's not just trying to center herself though," Goku replied, his gaze reading Sofia's form and as he tugged at his telepathic tether with her to gauge her internal aura.

"What do you mean, Dad?"

"Hm, I thought so…she's image training," Goku declared in an impressed drawl, glancing over at Gohan. "It's different than how you and Krillin did back on Namek or how I trained on my way there, but I guess it makes sense that everyone has a different way of visualizing and focusing for that kind of training, so the music must help her put up the walls she needs to concentrate."

Eyes widening, Gohan glanced back at her, impressed. "I wonder who she's visualizing…"

In the dark recesses of her mind, Sofia was staring down a faceless, silhouetted enemy that would return to skulk around her in the dark when it would revert from being the foe she kept trying to solely focus on: Cell. Just as the cicada-like Android would try taunting her during their clashes, something would pull her back and she'd be in the burgeoning darkness of her conscious. The music helped keep her anchored and not let the impulsive thoughts in, but something kept bothering her about the figure and Cell.

Suddenly, the figure and Cell became one, transforming into the Android's second evolution after having absorbed Seventeen.

_This is not your concern, or worthy of your worry…_

Then Cell morphed again – becoming his perfect form – and was suddenly blasting molten energy waves towards her. She outstretched her hands on either side of her body in order to charge up one of her most devastating energy attacks, the anger clouding around her as the fiery energy enveloped her hands and swirled into a sphere of blistering crimson energy she intended to scorch and eviscerate him with, when she felt the perplexing sensation that someone was behind her. Before she could turn her head to look back, a bolt of telepathic lighting flashed across her mind and blasted the image training session away as the brightness blinded her and snapped her back to her present.

Gasping, Sofia snapped out of her almost meditative pose and snatched her headphones off. "Oh my god, what the hell—?!" staring wild-eyed at Goku and Gohan, she paused as she winced and pressed the heel of her palm to her head against her left temple at the throbbing sensation that walloped her.

"What's wrong, Sofia?" Goku asked, kneeling down to survey her.

"…you guys didn't _feel_ that?!" she whispered between clenched jaw.

"Uhhh, no?" Goku replied, while Gohan rushed over and stared at her in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Gohan inquired, staring into Sofia's crimson eyes and catching the cold rush of fear he saw flash in them quickly before she looked away to stare back down towards the front of the palace.

"…I gotta go. You two stay RIGHT here and wait for Vegeta and Trunks. If they leave the chamber soon, tell them to bring their asses straight to where they sense huge power levels duking it out, ok?" Sofia said in a quick, guarded tone as she jumped up, shoved her CD player into her small backpack propped against of the closest pillars near the foyer of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber's door before going to rush for the railing she effortlessly leapt up and blasted off to the sky, zipping across the courtyard and diving down the edge of the Lookout for direct course to wherever she was headed.

"Sofia—!" Gohan began before Goku grabbed his shoulder and stopped him from following.

"Stop, Gohan. She's gotta handle it on her own, whatever it is. If she needed our help, she would've said so," Goku remarked in a sober tone. "All we can do now is do as she asked us to. Once Vegeta and Trunks are done with the chamber, they'll go and help."

Brows furrowed with worry, Gohan relented, respecting his father's rationale. "What about the others?" he asked. "Should we warn them—?"

Shaking his head, Goku responded, "We don't know what it is, and instead of worrying everyone, we should trust Sofia. If she needs to warn them, she will."

Grunting, Gohan nodded curtly. "Good luck, Sofia…"


	7. Vehement Dissonance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot more action in this and upcoming chapters, but there's a smidge of smut here...hope no one minds~!

"Speech" 'Telepathy' _Thought_

The aura around him was filled with twinkling, glistening colors that refracted and sparkled in an otherworldly gleam, feeling warm and inviting while he stared about in confusion to what he was doing standing there. Sensually, the elements began to take form and focus around him as he slowly realized he was standing on a shore, and he could dully hear the sound of the tide coming in before murmuring waves receded to repeat the delicate sensation and sound over and over again.

He could feel the cool sand below his feet while the warm, inviting breeze caressed across his skin. Looking up to stare across the horizon line of glimmering and melding hues before him, Piccolo realized the stars overhead were shimmering with an aura while the eerily blazing light of dawn seemed to freeze in it's ascending rays as his eyes fixed on a point in the horizon where he saw someone begin to emerge from the ocean waters.

Slowly surfacing from the resplendent phosphorescent blue waters, the figure looked like a goddess with a crown made of a galaxy of glimmering supernovas swirling like diamonds and gems, while her crimson eyes glowed provocatively at him. Her skin was radiant as the water rivulets caressed down every contour, dripping like luminous tendrils and clinging to her long dark hair in gleaming streams as she loped closer to him.

Her nude form was breathtaking to him, and he dimly realized his skin was growing hot and his body was throbbing with every beat of his heart as she now stood before him, in all her glory. She was looming over him at an Amazonian stature that only compounded his belief that she was a goddess – his goddess. He wanted to love and worship her, but most of all, he wanted to be in her aura and receive her love, fearing he'd die without it.

When her hands caressed his face, Piccolo felt himself lean into the touch, yearning to feel her body against his. She leaned down and whispered something against his lips before kissing him, the tantalizing charge making his pulse race and body throb as she smiled and opened her arms to him.

"…do you want coffee…?"

Piccolo laid her down on the cool sand and began to kiss down his goddess's throat before caressing a trail of kisses down her clavicle and chest when his mind dully realized Sofia wasn't the one he'd heard speak. Tilting her head back in a passionate reaction to having him push his throbbing erection inside of her, she sighed his name and gave him a hooded, luminous look when he suddenly realized he was staring up at her, and she was straddling his hips. Sofia's crown twinkled and her crimson eyes glowed at him as she ground her hips down on him and pressed her hands against his muscular pectorals.

"Hey, Piccolo! Did you want coffee?"

Barreling up and wide awake, Piccolo snapped his wide, flustered gaze about before turning to stare disarmed around at his real surroundings. Sweatdropping, he realized he was in the beach house's living room while the others were sleeping on their mats. Violet blush warming his angled features and even creeping up to his ears, he shook off his mortification and cleared his throat, sitting up from his leaning position against the nearest wall before answering Master Roshi.

"Sure…coffee is fine," the Demon King replied in a muttered baritone, mentally willing his body to calm itself from the sexually charged dream as he shuffled over to sit in the lotus position in front of the television. _Hrmph. What the fuck…I must've dozed off…_

"Here yah go," Master Roshi said as he came from the kitchen, offering Piccolo a coffee mug before going over to the TV. "This Cell fella has been wall-to-wall coverage. It's a shame we can't sense him before he strikes," he said as he adjusted the volume from mute to a lower setting before musing, "If anyone needs me, I'll be upstairs helping Chi-Chi tidy up."

Piccolo grunted in acknowledgement as he turned his attention to the TV. Sipping the bitter brew, he let the caffeine stir his still charged mind away from the alluring dream to instead focus on the terrible news playing. Placing the coffee mug down on the table to his right, he scowled as he sat in the lotus position with his arms tightly crossed over his chest and glowered at the news report while the others slept easily behind him.

_We're all exhausted, but to doze off like that?! I'm slipping…gotta get my edge back, dammit…_

'Everyone needs to rest at some point, Piccolo. You can't just strictly meditate. It's not a sufficient practice for completely recharging your mind and body,' Kami mused sagaciously to him.

Rolling his eyes, Piccolo muttered, 'Would you stop listening to my damn thoughts, old man?!'

'…I couldn't really help it with how your surly thoughts tend to boom around us when you're in a mood,' the elder Namekian huffed.

'And that also tends to happen when you're dreaming such fascinating and titillating things,' Nail chimed in with a tenor chuckle, musingly adding, 'Not that you can do anything about those. They're quite intriguing—'

'Of course they are, you perverted old maid…' Piccolo groused in a grumble.

'How can I be a 'perverted old maid' for appreciating something YOUR dreaming up, pray tell?' Nail shot back irreverently.

'…Just shut the hell up, Nail.'

'Now you two, there's no need for quarreling. After all, it's only natural for Piccolo's unconscious to conjure such a dream—'

'Stop _trying_ to help, old man! You suck at it,' Piccolo growled telepathically.

'Too bad you weren't around the last time he had a dream like that,' Nail mused casually before adding playfully, 'I'm starting to see a pattern develop, though—'

'Nail—!' Piccolo growled warningly.

'A pattern?' Kami inquired, curious.

'Oh yeah. It would seem Piccolo likes it when she's on top—'

'SHUT THE HELL UP, BOTH OF YOU!' Piccolo bellowed at them, fuming with embarrassment. 'The discussion is OVER!'

Snickering, Nail went silent. Piccolo clenched his teeth as he tried to rein his exasperation in, when Kami attempted matter-of-factly, '…Sexual dreams are healthy and normal, Piccolo, so there's no need to be embarrassed. After all, during my tenure as guardian, I found that the carnal predilections towards being dominated were quite common among—'

'I swear to whoever the next Guardian of Earth is, if you finish that sentence, I will find a way to strangle you, old man!'

Once he threatened both counterparts into silence, avoiding any further squabbling, Piccolo focused on the news reports.

For the longest time, he sat and watched as they became increasingly dire, reporting the disappearance of tens of thousands all across Earth, with no hope in stopping the monster as he continued to prey and absorb innocents.

Simmering with impotent fury, Piccolo clenched his teeth and huffed. "Dammit…I can't believe I'm just sitting here!" Gritting his jaw, he exhaled harshly through his nose. "That's enough, Cell! You'll pay for all this chaos and misery, you bastard…" he seethed out loud to himself, fists clenched.

Suddenly, he felt a shift – almost a change in the atmosphere, as if someone had just arrived outside. Growling under his breath, he stood and stalked over to look out the window, and froze in shock when he looked outside and saw the three Androids from the other day, staring smugly back at him.

'Oh goddammit…'

'Such a rude phrase—' Kami began to protest, not liking the disparaging cuss word.

'Uh, Piccolo, this is NOT good timing. You should reach out to Sofia and make sure—' Nail began before Piccolo cut him off.

'I'm not telling Sofia anything yet, so just shut it and let me think!'

"Hey there. Can Goku come out and play?" Android 17 drawled in that smug, tenor voice of his.

"Goku isn't here," Android 16 declared in his deep monotone.

Miffed, Seventeen glanced at him. "Not here?! Seriously?"

_What the hell…there's no way we can take them on. I can't let them leave now though. The best I can do is stall them, while I can…_

"Wake up! We have company," Piccolo turned and shouted at the others, stirring them from their slumber.

"Huh? What's up?" Krillin drowsily muttered.

They others quickly rallied and rushed out of the beach out to come face to face with the Android trio.

"Oh man, this is just great…" Krillin muttered tensely to himself, as Piccolo stalked out and down the porch steps after them.

"Goku's not here," the Namekian warrior barked over. "So I'll tell you once: leave now while you still can, otherwise you'll have to deal with me."

"Ooh, scary. But yeah – we're gonna pass on that, green man. Just tell us where Goku is and we'll be on our way," Seventeen mused in his aloof, steely tenor.

"You think we're going to talk, just like that?" Piccolo sneered.

"Well, yeah. We're your guests, after all. But if you want to be that way and not tell us where Goku is, things can be very easy or very painful for you. It's your choice," Seventeen threatened in a cool drawl while Sixteen stared off contemplatively and Eighteen glanced sidelong, as if bored.

"Alright, smartass. If it's a fight you want, I'm happy to oblige you," Piccolo shot back, icily. "There's an island over there. Let's settle this, just you and me. The rest of you just stay here and don't get in our way," he instructed in a hard tone.

"Heh, have it your way. It's your funeral," Seventeen mused offhandedly and followed Piccolo's lead, ascending to the air to follow him to the uninhabited island southwest of Kame House. Sixteen and Eighteen followed suit, unimpressed and eager to get things over with.

The others watched them leave, unsure if it was wise for Piccolo to fight without any backup.

"Do you think he has a chance?" Yamcha asked.

"As long as he can just keep them busy and away from doing damage…" Tien retorted.

"If anyone can keep them on the ropes, it's Piccolo. He just has to hold out until Goku's done with his training and swoops in!" Krillin declared, hopeful.

* * *

Slashing a red contrail across the blue afternoon sky, Sofia rushed as fast as her preternatural abilities allowed her to without burning too much ki. She was trying to rein in her panic as her mind whirled to make sense of the sensation and vision she saw flash across her mind back at the Lookout.

It had been fleeting, but the feeling caused by the flash was similar to the vision she'd experienced back in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber three years before. _Was that really a premonition?! But of what? I didn't see anything like I had when I saw the vision of Trunks falling in battle…but it felt just like that,_ she thought, eyes narrowed as she flew across the sky. The feeling had sunken into her bones and shook her to her core, leaving her rattled and unsure of what it meant.

_Just… what the hell did I even see…?_

She tried to force her mind's eye to replay the vision, but all she could conjure was the silhouette of Cell. Then the reminder of the perplexing sensation of someone behind her hit her. _That's right! Someone was behind me…but who?_ She couldn't recall seeing who was behind her, but the subconscious feeling that they needed her protection rose within her again. Whoever it was, she couldn't deny the prophetic, ominous foreboding it had stirred in her soul, so Sofia had decided she needed to be on the battlefield as soon as possible. _The Androids have probably made it to the island by now and Piccolo's going to square up against Seventeen. His elevated power level will coach Cell out of hiding and he'll make a beeline for them…_

The sudden fear that the premonition involved Piccolo sent an icy shiver down her spine.

'Piccolo?' she reached out to him; projecting her telepathic energy to hone in on his. When he didn't respond, she floored her ki to boil over and propel her speed to blast into her contrail and send her jetting out of the clouds to reach Kame House as quickly as she could.

Meanwhile, Piccolo was just landing on the island he'd challenged the Androids to follow him to. When Sofia's voice had pinged over their rapport, he ignored it; wanting to first make sure the three Androids weren't going to melee him.

"I think it's my turn to sit this one out," the blonde mused. When he saw Android 18 lope over to sit on a boulder with an aloof air of boredom on her features while the tall hulking Android 16 stood off to the side of her, he felt better about his odds.

Android 17 rolled up his sleeves and cockily mused, "Last chance, green man. Tell me where Goku is, and I'll let you walk away from this."

"Feh, is that supposed to scare me? Please," Piccolo snapped back as he tossed his weighted shoulder canopy and turban off to the side. Free of the extra weight, his muscles flexed as he stood tall and imposing across from the dark-haired Android.

"Seriously? You'd rather pick a fight you obviously can't win? C'mon. Just tell us where Goku is, or I'll have to beat it out of you," Seventeen retorted coolly, eyeing the Namekian sarcastically. When Piccolo only glared at him, he rolled his eyes. "Alright, fine. I'm right here then, why don't you show me what you got," he taunted.

"So you intend to fight one-on-one then?" Piccolo inquired, glancing at the other two Androids.

"Well, yeah. What fun is it for all three of us to come at you? They're cool with just spectating," Seventeen replied smoothly.

_Good. As long as they stay out of the fight, I might be able to take him out, leaving Cell shit out of luck in trying to assume his perfect form—_

'Piccolo!' Sofia's telepathic shout rang in his mind, cutting his train of thought.

'Not now, Sofia—!'

'I'm on my way. Stall the fight. Now!' she shouted back, stern and angry that he'd been obviously ignoring her again.

'Are you joking?! This is my chance to take this smug little bastard out and leave Cell unable to absorb either of them! I can handle this,' he shot back.

'Wait—!' she'd begun to protest when he forcefully put up his mental walls and blocked out her telepathic tether with him. Disarmed, Sofia became incensed. _Did he just blow me off?!_

Using the anger to fuel her speed, she careened at break-neck speed until she finally saw Kame House come into view.

"Hey, who's that?!" Yamcha called out when he saw the contrail.

"It's Sofia!" Krillin shouted and began waving at her.

Barreling down to come to an abrupt stop and hover above them, the crimson-eyed woman looked furious. "Are Goku and Gohan done training?" Tien inquired.

"No! They haven't even gone into the chamber yet. Look, I don't have time to explain. I'm heading for that island. I just need you guys to make sure that if you don't hear from Bulma, you call _her_ , ok?" Sofia rushed, glancing over at the rippling aura that began to reverberate from the great distance as Piccolo began to power up. "I gotta go!"

Blasting off to head straight for the source of the power up, the other fighters remained perplexed and worried as they stood on the sidelines. "That's not good," Krillin croaked, sweating.

"Yeah…we can already feel the shockwaves from way out here, and I'm sure the fighting hasn't even started," Tien mused.

"I think Krillin's talking about her going to rush into that," Yamcha offered lamely.

"I am. She looked real mad," the former monk mused.

"Well regardless, that's some genuine power we're feeling. Can that really be Piccolo?" Master Roshi offered as he rushed down to the beach to stand with them and marvel at the feat.

"Hell yeah it is. You guys didn't get a glimpse of it back in Gingertown, but I'm telling you, he's only getting warmed up. I just hope we don't have anything to worry about—"

"Uh, we do, buddy. She told us to wait on Bulma?" Yamcha remarked. "What's Bulma got to do with things?"

"That's right! I almost forgot that Bulma was working on some way to deactivate the Androids," Krillin remarked, hopeful again. "If we sense things getting bad and still haven't heard from her, we'll get her on the horn. In the meantime, all we can do is wait…"

* * *

Goku, Gohan and Mr. Popo marveled at the power level they were sensing, knowing it meant a battle was beginning.

"It's Piccolo! He's gotta be fighting someone, but I can't sense who," Gohan clenched his fists and worried out loud.

"It can't be Cell, so he must be fighting the other Androids that don't have power levels," Goku explained, brows furrowed as he glared back at the Hyperbolic Time Chamber door.

"We gotta help him! He can't beat them on his own," Gohan protested.

"There's nothing we can do, Gohan! Trust Piccolo. After all, he's a lot stronger now than he used to be. Plus Sofia is heading there too. She'll help as best as she can," Goku reasoned, but it wasn't enough for his son.

"But Dad—!"

"He's right, young warrior. Piccolo and Kami are one again, so their combined strength should be unmatched. Have faith," Mr. Popo cajoled, earning a tense frown from the frustrated demi-Saiyan.

_C'mon, Vegeta! Hurry up and get out of there. Time is not on our side. If anyone found a way to ascend beyond Super Saiyan, it'd be you, but we're going to need all the help we can get against these guys…_

* * *

Piccolo was reaching levels of power he'd not reached previously, sending shockwaves to reverberate across the island and all the elements around it for miles to quake and tremble.

Unfazed, Android 17 stared at the power up until Android 16 went from stoic apathy to rattled concern; turning to stared wide-eyed at the Namekian. "Something is wrong!" he shouted, earning Seventeen to glance sidelong in confusion. "This power signature is NOT Piccolo!"

"What?! Then whose is it—!?" the once-cocky Android's inquiry was interrupted by Piccolo suddenly phasing behind him and bashing a blow against his defenses, sending Seventeen reeling before he recovered long enough to receive another blow from behind, quickly followed by a flurry of punches and elbows that battered his equilibrium. When Piccolo punched him across the face, he finally caught his bearings, recovering long enough to grab his wrist and plow a kick to his midriff that sent the Namekian barreling towards the steep mountain across from them.

Piccolo seamlessly recovered, volleying back to hammer his offense. Before long, the two fighters were zipping and flashing at full speed across the terrain, matching blows and counters before taking to the air to propel the fight to new heights, literally.

Suddenly, Piccolo got the upper hand and struck Seventeen with such force that it sent him barreling back towards the ground. Even though the Android recovered and landed on his feet, he was pummeled again from behind with such force that he was propelled to hit the ground with such force that he was slightly stunned.

"What the hell," Seventeen groused to himself as he picked himself up.

Before he could stand straight, Piccolo was charging a powerful energy blast that he leveled directly at him. When the blast detonated, sending rubble and debris to rain down, the dust settled to reveal the ground torn asunder and Android 17 up in the safety of the air.

Seventeen taunted, "Hah, you're gonna have to do better than that."

Piccolo smirked, almost enjoying the challenge, even with the dire circumstances still weighing heavily on him. "Bring it on then, tough guy," he shot back.

Huffing at that, Seventeen flew down at him and their battle ensued, leaving much of the island to quake and splinter at the force of their power and collisions.

From miles away, Sofia could feel the atmosphere vibrate and the energy roil outwards like violent ripples across a pond. She gritted her teeth and flew against the waves, steeling her frame by enveloping her red aura to tightly incase her body as she flew as fast as she could to meet up with her twin star.

Suddenly, she saw an energy detonation engulf the island in the far distance after the sky shifted into a turbulent hues of gold and purple; then, the flying debris, wind currents and violent energy collisions altered the environment where the island once stood. "Shit! Was that his Hellzone Grenade?!" Floored, Sofia used her super speed to cut through the distance.

Just as the dust cleared and revealed a perfectly intact Seventeen housed within the protective sphere of his own force field, Piccolo's shock quickly dissolved into a menacing glower as Android 17 snarkily jabbed, "Nice try, but still not enough. Too bad for you."

"Hmph. Just wait. I'm only getting started," Piccolo shot back confidently just before he sensed someone approaching swiftly from his blindspot.

"Huh? Oh, it's you," Seventeen mused as Sofia skid to a halt to come to a hover across from him. "Come to step in for your friend again?"

Scowling, Piccolo offered in a low mutter, "I can handle this."

"Who said I was here to tag in? I'm just looking to observe like Sixteen and Eighteen," Sofia offered crisply before shooting a cool glance at the others, then raising a questioning brow to Seventeen. "Is that cool with you?"

"Heh, fine by me," the smug Android retorted before adding, "Follow me then. Let's go to that other island, now that _someone_ went overboard and blew this one away. Not much of a conservationist, are yah."

Blasting off, he was followed by Androids 16 and 18, giving Sofia and Piccolo time to shoot each other a glance before using their speed to gain on them.

'Listen—' Piccolo telepathically began until Sofia shot him a dangerous glare.

'No, you listen to me. I don't care WHAT you think about me cramping your style. You know I wouldn't interfere in your battles unless there was a reason!' She stared him down, furious and resolute while her eyes preternaturally glowed garnet at him. 'The next time you blow me off like that…' she trailed off crossly before phasing ahead of him.

Piccolo internally gulped at the lethal edge of her tone.

'Serves you right for shutting her out like that,' Nail muttered earnestly, at his expense.

Huffing, Piccolo phased down on the volcanic island's rocky surface and descended gracefully, followed by Seventeen, who stood across from him. The other Androids and Sofia descended down to stand just off to the side, a little behind Android 17. As the two fighters sized each other up, Eighteen betrayed an appraising glance over at Sofia, who'd crossed her arms and leaned her weight onto her left hip.

"Hey, where'd you get that outfit?" Blinking, Sofia glanced sidelong at Eighteen to notice the blonde was staring at her boots before glancing back up at her gaze.

"I made it. I really did love your boots from the other day, so I snapped myself a pair," Sofia responded simply with a one-shouldered shrug.

It looked like Android 18 had a follow up, but decided it wasn't important and went back to the standoff happening across from them. Sofia glanced over at Sixteen and caught his open gaze, seeming to be unfocused and focused all at the same time.

Piccolo watched the odd sight of seeing his twin star – who already could be confused for having some form of relation with the Androids thanks to her almond-shaped eyes – standing next to them, completely unfazed. While she had red irises, a beauty mark skirting the top-left corner of her month, and pointed black nails, her features were very similar to Android 18's, whom she was only slightly taller than while Android 16 dwarfed them both with his hulking muscle mass and height. Her dark hair was almost a match for Android 17's, minus in length and tone. Standing among them, with her distinctive outfit and inability to be sensed, she seemingly fit in well with the ragtag trio. For some reason, the observation gave him pause.

"I gotta admit, you've gained a surprising amount of power for a regular organic," Android 17's remark snapped his gaze back at him, catching the smug smirk that quirked the man's face. "You're not the same old Piccolo from last time, huh?" When Piccolo didn't answer him, he continued, "Not that it matters. Whatever you are now? I don't really care. I just want to know where we can find Goku. If you're ready to tell me that, I'm all ears – pun intended."

"If you think I'm hear to oblige you with what you want, you're deluded. I'm not telling you where Goku is so you can just kill him for the hell of it," Piccolo smirked back and got into his stance.

From her vantage point, Sofia watched as Seventeen grunted with humor before floating upwards to cut the distance between him and Piccolo. In the back of her mind, she could sense the zipping ping of energy that was emanating from a far-off power level – THE particular power level that had been making her cringe since she'd left the Lookout. Was something bad going to happen beyond the expected events and outcome of this altercation and eventual defeat at the hands of Cell? What had she seen during her image training?

In an instant, Seventeen phased in and punched Piccolo, beginning the intricate tit for tat of their battle. Every punch one would connect would result in a kick, elbow or head butt from the other, leaving them evenly matched. When a particular volley of blows ended with Piccolo artfully back flipping out of Seventeen's range, Sofia betrayed a small smile when he cracked the tension out of his back and spat a glob of bloody phlegm to the side before smirking. "You might have the edge on me speed wise, but speed won't do much good against me if you can't punch worth a damn," Piccolo taunted smugly.

Incredulous, Seventeen groused, "No way, you're just bluffing. Just determined to push my buttons, arentcha." Going back to his confident posturing, he jabbed, "Don't get it twisted. I was built to be the ultimate fighter. Nothing will surpass or defeat me. You'll tire out eventually."

"Maybe, but you're bound to make a mistake at some point, and that'll be the end of this," Piccolo shot back.

Scowling, Android 18 warned, "Don't underestimate him, Seventeen. He's a lot stronger than we originally thought."

"Whatever," the annoyed Seventeen scoffed in response before rushing forward with super speed at Piccolo and bashing his fist against his cheek.

Piccolo recovered and countered with a swift kick. Their fight went into overdrive as they one-upped each other in prowess and fighting skill. When Seventeen kicked him into the ground, Piccolo appeared behind him and bashed his fists against him to crater the Android into the earth. The battle was getting so tempestuous it was literally creating fissures below their feet.

Sofia and Eighteen glanced at the cracks that were opening in the ground just as they offered each other an appraising look before ascending with Sixteen up to the safety of the sky just as the dormant volcano erupted, spewing hot magma and fumes into the air.

Yet another island destroyed, the two fighters took to the air and even the sea to collide with violent energy blasts and bone-crushing blows. Once they'd blasted out of the water below them in a tangled flurry of kicks, counters and punches to glide across the sky to the next island venue, Sofia dissipated her protective red psionic energy sphere she used to shield them from getting wet and pelted with debris.

"Nice move," Android 18 offered aloofly as they blasted off to catch up with the dueling fighters.

"Eh, didn't feel like getting my hair wet," Sofia chimed genuinely, earning a sidelong glance and grunt from Eighteen.

The three of them landed close to the new island's shore just as Seventeen and Piccolo were bashing each other senseless into adjacent mountains before colliding again into a flurry of fisticuffs. The surreal aspect of the scene was disarming to Sofia. She'd watched this fight thousands of times back in her old life, so to see it up front and in the flesh before her left her floored. She was internally smitten with how Piccolo was showing out, and how his fighting prowess was seemingly vexing Seventeen. Smirking at the sight, she didn't catch Android 16's appraising look of her.

When Piccolo was flipped and power slammed into the ground before he grabbed Seventeen's shirt and slammed him face first into the ground next to him, she felt her heart clench when her mind flashed warningly at the quickly approaching power level. Glancing over her shoulder, she glowered. _Dammit. Cell will be here any minute…so far everything has gone down exactly as it should, but the moment that fugly jerk gets here, there's no telling what could happen…_

She worried that maybe she was missing something, but knew as long as Bulma linked up with Krillin to hand him the deactivator remote while Tien headed over to the battlefield as fated, then she would only need to make sure that the eventual defeat was as predetermined.

While she continued to hope that everything would occur as intended, the others were at Kame House, witnessing the aftershocks of the battle as they swayed the currents of the sea and air to reverberate.

"It's insane that we're just standing at the sidelines like this while Piccolo takes them on!" Tien fumed, fists clenched at his sides.

"We'd just get in his way, so it's best to stay clear of the battle," Krillin mused, sweating nervously.

"Hey fellas? Wasn't there something that bodacious young lady with the fabulous bazoongas told you to do? I caught the tail end when I was coming out the house," Master Roshi inquired as he absently brushed his gray beard thoughtfully.

"Huh?" Yamcha groused. "Oh wait—that's right. Didn't she say something about Bulma?"

"Crap! You're right," Krillin shouted, turning to rush to the house and almost bumping into Chi-Chi on the porch. "Hey, has Bulma called?"

"Bulma? No. What's wrong?" the raven-haired woman inquired while Krillin rushed to the phone and began dialing the heiress' direct lab line.

"Hello? Hey Dr. Briefs! I'm looking for Bulma. Is she there?" Krillin spoke in a nervous tizzy, and when he heard the other man explain that Bulma had just left with Trunks in a bucket-seat jet to bring them the remote she'd completed work on, Krillin cut in, "Wait! When did she leave? Can you patch me through to her?"

"Sure thing. Hold," Dr. Briefs mused before the line went to hold music. After a few beats without the line being connected, the scientist came back on the line and croaked, "I…can't get ahold of her. Her cell phone keeps ringing a busy tone."

"WHAT?! Does she have a CB radio on board?!" Krillin asked in a panic.

"Sure, but she might not even have it on an active channel! She usually uses her cell phone when she flies the bucket-seater. Oh boy, I hope everything's ok—!"

"I'll head out and see if I catch up with her, don't worry! In the meantime, if she calls in, tell her I'm out looking for her. Piccolo and Sofia have gone to fight the Androids, and we've been sensing Cell coming this way, so there's no time to waste!" Krillin instructed on the phone, and once Dr. Briefs assured him he would continue to try and get ahold of his daughter, the former monk hung up the line and rushed back out to the beach where the others were now sensing the ominous power level of Cell as he seemed to be closing in on the general area. "Bulma's on her way but MIA from getting calls, so I'm going to go out and look for her! You guys stay here," he explained before blasting off at full speed in search for his friend, who was flying at a decent clip while trying to console a fussy Trunks, who had been playing with the buttons of her cell phone and accidentally left the line on call waiting as it autodialed the Capsule Corp automated switch line.

Stewing in his impotent fury, Tien stood on the beach and gritted his teeth while Yamcha lamented Goku not being back from training to step in. "We are always relying on Goku to save the day, but what good is all the training we've done up to now if the plan is to abdicate and stand aside while others fight FOR us?!" the triclops harangued angrily. "I feel completely useless just standing here!"

"You heard Krillin! Unless we can get that remote from Bulma, we'd be getting in the way of the fighting happening out there—!"

"But what if Cell gets there first!? Piccolo cannot fight three Androids AND that damn monster at the same time," Tien shouted at his friend.

Suddenly, they felt the telltale power up of a devastating blast before the shockwaves reverberated miles down to them on the island. "Holy crap?! What was that?" Yamcha nervously prattled, feeling fear trickle down his spine.

"I don't know! But…I-I don't sense Piccolo now…" Tien wheezed out of his clenched throat.

"Oh no…" Master Roshi croaked fearfully, sweat on his brow as they all sensed Piccolo's ki signature drop to a level they could no longer register.

"That's it! I'm not just going to stand here and watch everyone put their lives on the line," Tien furiously powered up. "There's gotta be some way for me to help!"

Blasting off in a rush, Tien left Yamcha shouting for him to stop as he ascended and made direct course for the fraught battle site none of them had a clue about. Who would be friend and who was now the foe? What if there were no friends left?

* * *

After Piccolo and Seventeen had exchanged gut punch after bone-crushing gut punch before spin kicking each other in the face, they exchanged energy blasts that would've normally decimated most low-level fighters. Instead, they both were left scraped and pugnacious, egging each other on and boastful.

Putting her hands on her hips, Sofia smirked as she watched. "This is just as good live," she mused to herself, catching the other two spectators off guard.

"What do you mean by "live"?" Eighteen inquired as she brushed rogue blonde strands behind her ear.

"Huh? Oh, nothing! Just saying this is a good fight," Sofia deflected, smiling goofily and stretching her arms behind her head.

Before she could turn back to watch the battle, energy alarm bells began to flash in her mind when suddenly, Android 16 shouted, "LOOK OUT!"

A raucous explosion detonated in the middle of the island, leaving a shallow crater and propelling the two fighters back from where they'd been rushing towards another collision. Glancing up at Sixteen, Sofia blinked wide-eyed at him as he held her under one arm and Eighteen under the other after having shielded them from the devastating blast.

"Where the hell did that come from?!" Seventeen groused, standing and glaring about before noticing Piccolo was frozen in horror, staring up at something.

"What the hell is that?!" Android 18 asked incredulously as she stared at the grotesque creature perched on the bluff across from the battlefield.

"Oh crap…" Sofia grumbled before turning to Sixteen and curtly nodding her thanks for him shielding them from the blast. "That…well, it's a long story," she trailed off as she simultaneously tried reaching out to sense the ki signatures of the rest of the Z Fighter's back at Master Roshi's. She sensed Tien, Krillin and Yamcha easily. _Wait! Why is Krillin still there?! And what the fuck is Tien doing still standing there?! He should be at least halfway here by now!_ Sofia's heart clenched with nervous anxiety, a cold feeling growing in the pit of her stomach. "Shit…oh no," she slowly realized that no one would be around to swoop in and stop Cell and fend him off to allow Android 16 to usher Android 18 to safety.

"Hrmph, well well, so nice of you to keep these two preoccupied for me, Piccolo," Cell drawled in that grimy tone of his as he descended from his perch to glare smugly at the Namekian warrior, who was staring in disarmed shock as the evil Android began to chuckle knowingly.

"N-No! Impossible…!" Piccolo bit out through clenched jaw while Seventeen stared on in disbelief. "It's Cell!" He realized he'd been so caught up in the battle, he didn't sense the bioengineered monster honed in on them.

"What the hell is this thing?" the usually smug half of the sibling Android duo muttered, earning Piccolo's shock.

"Piccolo—they don't know about Cell! We have to stop him from absorbing Seventeen and Eighteen," Sofia shouted and used a speed burst to rush forward and stand in her battle stance next to a startled Seventeen.

"What?! Do WHAT to us?!" Android 17 balked and asked Sofia.

"Ah, I thought that was you, little interloper!" Cell snarled, his predatory glare slashing across the terrain and noticing Android 18 and the imposing Android with the Red Ribbon Army insignia across his left pectoral's armor. _Ugh, another one I don't know about?!_ "He must be an older model created by Dr. Gero. Definitely nothing to worry about then," Cell mused out loud before loping over towards Piccolo.

"Seriously, who is this freak," Android 17 inquired, sliding his blue gaze over at Sofia. "You all obviously know each other already and I've yet to even catch _your_ name."

"Oh—I'm Sofia," she offered simply. "His name's Cell. He's a complete self-absorbed asshole, but he's also an Android like you guys," she paused when he grunted in shock. "Gero's computer cooked him up in the secret lab below where you three were stored in stasis."

Glancing with shocked eyes back at his sister and Sixteen, he asked, "So, what's that got to do with you then?"

"I can answer that," Cell snapped goadingly before beginning to power up, blasting air and debris about violently as his energy began to skyrocket, revealing the malevolent aura engendered by the stolen bio essence of thousands of innocents. Sofia gritted her jaw at feeling wave after wave of ki saturated with Cell's uniquely heightened energy signature while she watched Piccolo freeze in horror. The cliff Cell had been surveying them from exploded under the weight of his power up and the terrain shifted beneath them as he gloatingly stood in his powered up, aura-incased state and began to stalk over towards them. As he passed a disarmed Piccolo, he groused, "You two might be here to interfere in my ascension to perfection, but unlike last time, you absolutely stand no chance. I'll tell you once: stay out of my way, Piccolo."

As the bioengineered Android began to lope away, Piccolo turned and snapped, "You bastard…absorbing thousands and stealing their energy for yourself!?"

"Oh, don't worry. They should be honored to be part of my sheer perfection," he drawled confidently as he continued to stalk over towards Seventeen and Sofia.

"What—?!" Piccolo began to bark when Sofia's sharp glance caught his attention.

'You have to listen to me, Piccolo. Things are off slightly, and it's going to be just you and me possibly fending Cell off for a while…'

Piccolo listened to her plan, and felt an icy feeling sink in his stomach.

Once Cell came only several long paces away from Seventeen, he chuckled darkly at the Android and his eventual prey.

"What's so funny," Seventeen mused, features set in a bemused scowl.

"Nothing really. I'm just so excited to be so close to perfection," Cell patronized before glaring haughtily at Sofia. "I still owe _you_ for the insolent attack—"

Before Cell could finish, Piccolo phased in and planted his heel in the small of his back and sent Cell flying. Sofia pushed Seventeen out of the way before propelling herself out of the way as well, leaving the space between them vacant for Cell to cruise through before the Android flipped and recovered to snap back to face them.

Phasing next to Seventeen, Sofia grabbed his arm and used her preternatural speed to skip them both several yards away. Shocked, the usually smug Android looked at her as she explained in a rush, "Avoid his tail. It has a stinger that will absorb you whole! If he gets you, he'll be too strong for any of us to fend off."

"You're serious," Seventeen tensely scoffed.

"Yes. If he gets you, he'll go after Eighteen next. Once he's absorbed you both, he'll achieve his perfect form. We have to hold him off until help arrives—"

While Sofia had been talking, Cell recovered and rushed towards them, barreling across the rocky island's ground before phasing to appear with his tail's stinger aimed directly towards them. Hand still on Seventeen's forearm, Sofia swung him with all her might out of the way and spun in evasive maneuvers to avoid Cell's thrashing, jabbing tail.

'NOW!' Sofia shouted over her rapport with Piccolo just as she flipped out of the way, spun breakdance style to sweep Cell's legs out from under him before leaping up and out of the fray just as Piccolo unleashed his Special Beam Cannon.

As the spiraling energy barreled at him, Cell snarled and recovered to stand his ground to the rushing energy beam before effortlessly deflecting it away to shoot across the sky at a diagonal before it zipped pass Sofia to detonate in the far distance of an errant landmass out at sea.

"No! He deflected it like it was nothing…" Piccolo growled at himself as Sofia phased to stand next to him. "What now?"

"We continue to stall things," she replied in a hard, guarded tone, eyes focused ahead at Cell before she phased out again to stand next to Seventeen, who was standing adjacent to them close to the opposite shoreline. "I'm not bullshitting you, man. You have to avoid his tail at all costs. And don't underestimate him," Sofia muttered to the cocky Android.

"This is a pointless struggle," Cell barked before clearing his throat and trying another tactic, directing the following towards Android 17. "Once I've completed my design, I'll become a super being unlike the universe has ever known. Join me, and help me fulfill our creator's life-long ambition to create the perfect warrior."

"I've heard enough of this shit. Gero already created the perfect warrior, and you're looking at him. Why would I ever join you," Seventeen scoffed, smirking smugly at the towering creature.

Tail swaying behind him, Cell grumbled, "What you want makes no difference. Like it or not, I will absorb you."

"Bring it on!" Seventeen taunted, earning a dramatic eye roll and facepalm from Sofia.

'What's the game plan here, Sofia,' Piccolo muttered tensely.

"No, Seventeen! You must retreat. His power is much greater than yours, so you must leave now," Android 16 shouted, shocking everyone. "You will not win. If he's allowed to reach his perfect form, he will not stop at destroying Goku. He won't be satisfied until he's destroyed the entire universe."

Cell grunted in agreement, while Sofia scowled and answered Piccolo. 'You and I need to keep Cell away from absorbing Seventeen for as long as possible. There's no getting this dude from heeding our warnings, but without the backup—'

'Who is our backup?' Piccolo asked.

'Don't worry about that!' she snapped at him, tensions running high and anxiety flooding her temper.

"Unbelievable. First Sofia here's jumping in to help ME, and now you're opening your steel trap to tell me to run?! Fat chance. I don't run from anyone!" Android 17 shouted as he powered up and flew at Cell, intending to aim a crushing punch at him when the creature phased out so quickly he didn't realize his punch didn't connect until Cell's blow bashed him into the ground.

Before Sofia could move, Piccolo was rushing towards Cell. "STOP! Get away from him—!"

When Cell blocked his blows and pummeled Piccolo to fly across the terrain before crashing raucously to the ground, Sofia resorted to a dangerous defensive tactic. As Cell loped confidently over to Piccolo, she ran over to stand between him and her twin star, a hand hidden behind her back as she outstretched the other in a petition for him to halt. "Wait!"

Pausing in his advance, the self-centered creature gargled an amused sound in his throat before drawling, "Aww, isn't that sweet. What is it? Going to finally beg for my mercy? Maybe apologize to me in hopes I'll spare you?"

Smirking, Sofia used the diversion to charge up her special energy technique before revealing it from behind her back. Tossing the glowing, fizzling white ki orb in her hand like a baseball, she facetiously hissed, "Nahhhh, I just wanted to give you this!"

Throwing the orb at him, Cell caught it effortlessly in his hand, expecting the energy to dissolve, but instead it suctioned to his skin via static-like energy. "What the—?!" Eyes widening, he watched as the orb began to glow until it enveloped him and became a blinding light that caused everyone else to obscure their sight before a deafening boom followed by a violent explosion rocked the island.

Before the detonation, Sofia was able to grab Piccolo's hand and phase out of the range of her blast.

"Whoa! What the hell was that?!" Seventeen shouted as he stood and wiped at his face as Sofia and Piccolo appeared at his left side.

"I call it my Boom Ball," Sofia grinned sheepishly before her attention was pulled back to the epicenter of the blast, where a completely exasperated Cell stood, totally unscathed. "Ah man…" Sofia pouted comically.

"His power has multiplied to a ridiculous limit since the last time we fought. That attack wasn't likely to damage him, "Piccolo grumbled and grunted when Sofia shot him a sour glare.

"Are you guys holding back or something?" Eighteen mused, not understanding why they were all struggling to keep Cell in check.

"They do not possess the power required to penetrate the enemy's defenses. He's far too strong," Android 16 offered matter-of-factly. "You should leave now, Eighteen. It is obvious Seventeen has chosen to ignore our warnings, but you should retreat while you still can."

"You know, this wouldn't be sooo tedious if you chipped in and helped, Sixteen," Sofia groused humorously at the imposing and stoic ginger-haired giant.

"That's it! I've had enough of your plotting," Cell balefully shouted as he flew at them, extending his stinger towards Seventeen before faking out and kicking Sofia into the adjacent rocky hill before combo punching Piccolo and Seventeen across opposite ends of the terrain.

"Sofia!" Piccolo shouted, but his attempt at rushing to his feet was thwarted by Cell's vicious kick to his ribs that sent him spiraling into the dirt until he rolled to a stop and coughed in pain from the blow. Purple blood trickling down the corner of his mouth to drip down his chin, he stood laboriously and turned to face Cell.

Gritting his jaw, he realized Cell had scattered them to be unable to give each other defensive backup. Seventeen stood rooted in his stupefied hunched stance as he stared over at Sofia, who was pushing herself free of the rubble and seemed to be wincing in pain. Seeing her hurt drove Piccolo's acrimonious fury to fuel the power up he needed for the attack he planned to level against the evil monster.

In a daze, Sofia stumbled to her feet just in time to see Piccolo holding his hands in front of him in a specific formation that signaled the devastating attack he was about to charge up. "No!" she began and went to rush forward when Android 16 held his massive arm in front of her as he stepped forward and halted her from further advance.

"It's futile. You do not possess the power needed to interfere now," the hulking Android spoke firmly, eyeing her before telling Eighteen, "If Cell absorbs you, he will reach his perfect form and destroy everything."

"What are you going to do, Sixteen?" the blonde inquired, too bemused to heed his warning and leave her brother.

Glaring ahead, Sixteen didn't answer as the foreboding waves of an energy power up began to fluctuate as Piccolo's energy charge skyrocketed. Powering up and shouting as his aura enveloped him and began to radiate the atmosphere turbulently around him, he continued to push until he poured all his energy and might into the single sphere of energy he was harnessing in his hands.

Gritting her teeth, Sofia realized there was nothing she could do to stop the sequence of events as Cell loped unbothered towards him and the ground continued to shake from Piccolo's power up. Using her preternatural speed, she zipped past Sixteen and rushed over to Seventeen, grabbing the shocked fighter by the arm again and hauling him behind her as she sped out of the blast radius Piccolo's energy was about to detonate. Getting thrown down to the ground by the force of the blast, Sofia winced as she hit the ground on her still tender side while Seventeen shielded himself as Piccolo released his attack, energy barreling into Cell and blowing up much of the side of the island he'd just been standing on seconds before.

Cradling her side, Sofia turned to see the outcome and gaped at the level of devastation Piccolo's attack made as wind, debris and ocean water rained down on them and fluctuated violently in the air, tossing her hair about and pushing against them in the aftershocks.

"Amazing. He took him out," Android 18 marveled.

"Incorrect. That blast was not powerful enough to destroy Cell."

Staring wide-eyed at the towering, stoic being, Eighteen trembled as she turned to watch Cell emerge unscathed from the ocean to float back towards the shore.

Piccolo was stunned as he watched Cell emerge without a scratch. Shocked, Sofia glanced around, realizing that as she feared, Tien was nowhere in sight. She reached out with her senses and felt him still on Master Roshi's island. _Oh no…he won't be here to help after Cell absorbs Seventeen._ Fear sprung in her chest as she watched Cell lope casually towards Piccolo.

As the bioengineered Android stood looming across from him, Piccolo balled up his fists and stood his ground. When Cell glanced over and smiled at Seventeen, eyeing him as a prized treat, Sofia's heart clenched when her twin star turned and looked at her before glaring at Android 17 and yelling, "RUN, SEVENTEEN!"

Cell's fist bashed Piccolo across his cheek with such force that it broke a vertebrae in his neck, snapping his head violently to the side as he brusquely fell back, propelled to the ground. Sofia felt the pain slash across her psyche, driving her to her knees and leaving her gasping as a cry of shock caught in her throat. Shocked, everyone else watched as Cell picked Piccolo up by the collar of his gi and hoisted him up like a lifeless doll.

"Oh my. I guess I don't know my own strength! I've spent so much time absorbing energy I must've taken more than I needed," Cell sardonically quipped as he lifted Piccolo up and glared contemptuously at him. "Oh well."

When he pressed his palm against Piccolo's torso and detonated a searing ki blast to tear through his bone and flesh, Sofia gripped her own side as if she too took the lethal wound while she was really assaulted with a blinding psychic flash that sent agony through her. Curling against the onslaught of pain, she cried out and fell to her side, almost breathless. Seventeen turned towards the noise and saw her.

"Hey!" She barely heard him shout for her attention, and didn't feel his hand as it gripped her shoulder firmly and shook her. Staring back across at the gruesome scene, he felt a cold chill go down his spine. "Shit...he killed him!" Android 17 groused, in shock, watching as Cell smirked and tossed Piccolo over his shoulder to be discarded to the waters of the ocean before he turned to glower predatorily at them.

"Ah, so much for the mighty Piccolo," Cell taunted. "Think you could fair better?"

Gritting his teeth, Seventeen stood his ground. "Hey, this isn't me doing you a favor or anything, but if you don't get up and out of the way, you're going to get hurt," he muttered to Sofia, who was trying to recover against the phantom pain.

"Don't…worry about me," Sofia attempted, eyes cloudy with pain as she struggled to stand. "He's got to absorb you first before he goes for Eighteen, so if you need any more motivation to keep this creep from getting you…"

"I hear yah…" Seventeen muttered, glancing sidelong at her before nodding.

Phasing out, she left him to stand on the battlefield across from a gloating Cell. While the Android advanced on his target and engaged in pummeling the fighter, Sofia took the opportunity to fall back and recover, fitfully reaching out with her senses to pick up the ki signatures of Krillin and Tien. She couldn't sense the former monk nearby anymore, but did sense the triclops rushing from Kame House towards their location. _Dammit! He's still too far…_

'GOKU! Can you hear me?!' she shouted telepathically, hoping she could reach him, but when she didn't feel her message connect, she realized they were too far to be able to hear each other. "Dammit!" she swore and crouched painfully behind the outcropping of rocks that faced the sea. _Where the hell is this pain coming from?!_ Her mind was whirring through the phantom pain before she stared down at the turbulent waters.

'Piccolo!' she shouted again, and felt nothing. The terror that seized her heart was too much for her. Propelled to dive into the water, she swam down into the depths, frantically looking about while she internally winced and ignored the stinging in her side, trying to sense her twin star. 'Please, Piccolo—' she saw a dark silhouette anchored lifelessly to the bottom of the sea. Diving further, she used her ki to propel her quicker in order to reach the bottom, seeing Piccolo unconscious, eyes blank-white. Reaching him, she encircled his form, wrapping her arms as best as she could under his and pushing off of the bottom to propel them towards the surface.

While she dove for him, Android 17 took a beating from Cell. After the monster slammed him to the ground like a ragdoll, he kept the braggadocios fighter on defense with a flurry of combos before whipping him across the face with his tail and thrashing Seventeen violently to the ground. Flipping out of the way of a knee that would've doubled him into the ground, Android 17 gritted his teeth and rushed back at Cell, shouting, "Go to hell! I'm not going to be taken out so easily!"

Cell leapt at his offense and easily countered Seventeen's blows before bashing him with well-aimed kicks that planted the brash fighter into the ground. Pummeling him a few more times, the bioengineered monster took the chance to gloat, mocking Seventeen. "Seems to be pretty easy to me!"

"Ah, damn you! If you think I'm just going to roll over—ack!" Seventeen shouted before Cell kicked him viciously in the side, rolling him effortlessly to gasp and cry out on his back.

"You were saying? Hah! C'mon, Seventeen. Just quit the resistance."

"Grr! No way," Seventeen coughed out as he tried to recover, but was unceremoniously picked up by Cell and gut punched with such force, he felt his body shudder from the blow.

From her vantage point, Sofia trembled with adrenaline as she glanced over the outcropping of rocks. "Dammit, where the hell are you, Tien?!" she hissed tensely to herself as she turned her attention back to Piccolo. Having checked his pulse as soon as she reached the surface and pulled him out of the water to rest against the edge of the shore, she could feel a weak thrum against her fingers, but knew he was still alive. The wound to his side was gruesome, but slowly mending, so she tried not to look at it as she gently laid him onto his back and brushed his face tenderly. She could hear Seventeen's shouts of pain, and felt rancor begin to bubble up to the surface of her clouded mind. Staring down at Piccolo's unconscious features, a seething rage overtook her thoughts.

_He hurt what is ours!_

Just as Cell began to attempt to absorb Seventeen, Sixteen appeared and throttled the bioengineered Android across the face, propelling him away from Seventeen and engaging him in an offense that shocked and awed the smarmy creature. After assuring Android 17 that he was at the same power level as Cell, Android 16 flew into battle with the imposing monster, matching him blow for blow before overwhelming him with a flurry of moves that battered Cell's defenses and left him open to being thrashed violently to the ground before Sixteen ripped his tail off.

Grunting that such damage meant nothing for a being that could regenerate, Cell did so, utilizing the stolen cells from Piccolo to grow his tail back. After bashing a punch against Sixteen that pummeled the behemoth to skid across the terrain, Cell flew at the other Android just as Sixteen turned and launched his Rocket Punch. The cybernetic fist slammed into Cell's face, throttling him backwards to crash to the ground just as Android 16 appeared, grabbed him and body slammed him violently into the ground. Unlocking his cybernetic forearms, Sixteen pointed his hidden blast cannons into the crater created by Cell before unleashing his Hell Flash, firing the energy directly into the crater to eviscerate the creature.

The firing of such energy caused blast fissures to burst from the ground and shook the island brutally, causing everyone else to avoid the beams and ride out the aftershocks before the energy died down and the blazing heat of the light from the blasts dissipated, leaving dust and debris to rain down.

"Holy hell!" Seventeen balked as he stared around at the devastation from Sixteen's blast. "There's no way he could be that powerful…"

"You did it, Sixteen!" Android 18 shouted.

"What are you still doing here?! You need to retreat NOW!"

"Huh? C'mon, the danger is over. You took that jerk out—"

"NEGATIVE. That blast was not powerful enough to destroy him. Cell has only been weakened!" Android 16 exclaimed, actually irate with his cohorts. "You should both leave now—!"

"Yeah right! After the humiliation I endured from the _freak_ , there's no way I'm running away now without getting some payback!" Seventeen shouted back, becoming overconfident. "You gave him a decent beating, but now it's my turn to squash him like the overgrown cockroach he is. You hear that?! Come TRY and absorb me now—!"

As Seventeen shouted goadingly, Cell had burrowed his way through the tunnels created by Sixteen's blast fissures to slither up from under the secret cavern just behind Seventeen. Ascending from his hiding spot, Cell's eyes were glowing with predatory glee as his tail swung calculatingly from around him to prepare his next attack.

Without Tien to shout the warning for him to look out, Seventeen was none the wiser to the impending attack and the other Androids were too late to realize Cell was emerging behind the fighter. Cell was merrily about to shout his victorious sneer at Seventeen's expense when he was suddenly throttled by a surprise kick across his muzzled face, which propelled him with bruising force into the rocky hill across from them.

Whirling around, Seventeen gasped at seeing Cell emerge fumingly from the rubble that once was a rocky hill before realizing Sofia was floating in the spot Cell once occupied. Android 16 was stunned, having barely registered the disruption in the atmosphere from such a powerful and speedy attack.

"What the—how'd you—?!" Android 17 stammered, watching as Sofia's aura began to glow around her before becoming scintillating heat that radiated outward from her form.

"If you don't get your cocky head into the fight, it's going to be the death of you," Sofia stoically muttered to him, eyes beginning to radiate a crimson glow as she added in as crisp hiss, "Get out of here."

Balking, Seventeen backpedaled away from her until he was standing next to Sixteen.

"This is most irregular. She should not possess the level of strength required to strike Cell the way she just did," Android 16 mused to Seventeen.

"Something tells me not to overthink things right now, buddy…"

Glaring furiously across at her, Cell blasted everything around him in an angry tantrum as he harangued, "I've had ENOUGH of you interfering in my goddamned ascension to perfection! You're going to rue the day you ever thought yourself worthy to cross ME—!"

Before Cell could believe it, Sofia moved with such speed that she was suddenly in front of him, arm extended in a punch intended to cut him in half. Gaping, he flung himself backwards, narrowly missing the punch, but unable to miss the high kick she leveled down on him. Heel jamming into the center of his torso, his eyes bulged out as she drove him into the ground with vicious force, causing him to bounce up just as she grabbed him from the front of his thickly armored, scaled chest plate. Digging her fingertips into the flesh, she hooked her talon-like nails in and swung him up like a doll on a string before driving her other fist into his face with bone crushing precision.

Completely stunned by the sight, the other three Androids watched as the once sarcastic and somewhat irreverent fighter became a focused, stoic, and menacing being, her eyes glowing rancorously red from her preternatural aura as she barreled punches into Cell's face with such speed and force that it was disarming the bioengineered monster.

Prying her nails out of his flesh, she palm-hit him in the center of his chest before spin kicking him to barrel into the sky, then phased to appear in his path and flipped herself to spike kick him into the ground below. Head and shoulders dug into the ground, Cell's legs and tail kicked and thrashed about wildly before he ultimately freed himself and whirled maniacally about.

Staring wide-eyed at the scene, Androids 16 and 17 didn't know what to make of the turn of events until Sofia phased in front of them. With her back to them, she mused, "This diverges off of the proper sequence of events, but I need you to tag team Cell with me for a bit, Sixteen."

"I don't understand," the ginger-haired fighter muttered.

"You and I must keep Cell at bay from absorbing Seventeen just a little longer," she mused in a disarming monotone.

Not knowing what to respond, Sixteen instead stepped forward to fall into formation by Sofia's side.

" _You_...!" Cell snarled at them, irate they were standing between him and his prize. "I'm going to tear you apart!"

He flew at them, and Sixteen phased in his path to clothesline him, just as Sofia appeared above him to pile-drive her boots into his torso. Crashing into the ground with a gargled cry, Cell snarled wildly before gurgling in surprise as Sofia grabbed him by his tail and unceremoniously hauled him free from the crater to swing violently round and round in a dizzying tornado that kicked up dust and wind all around them.

"Aaaaaah! LET-GO-O-OOO-OOOOO!" Cell shouted as he was violently swung at such a tilt that he couldn't get his bearings. He tried to thrash his tail free, but Sofia dug her sharp talons into the meaty flesh and squeezed, causing pain to lace up his spine. "GYAAAAAH!"

_He must SUFFER for hurting our twin star!_

Sofia kept spinning faster, her aura flaring like hungry flames along her frame and engulfing her normal energy as she snarled darkly and kept spinning Cell until she pivoted her body and swung his tail with such force that she slammed him crushingly into the ground. The entire island shook from the collision.

"MOVE SOFIA!"

Glaring upwards, she saw Sixteen hovering above with both his blast cannons ready and aimed down at them. Reluctantly, she sneered, wrapping her forearm around Cell's tail before prying him out of the ground and giving him another rousing slam into the same crater and expanding it more before she phased out of the way of Sixteen's attack.

"HELL-FLASH-FIIIIRE!"

Sixteen's blast sent another burst of energy fissures to rock the island, but before the blasts completely detonated, Sofia phased down to grab Seventeen. Instantly, she extended her own psionic energy sphere as a protective shield around them both.

Astonished, Seventeen stared at her as she focused her energy outwards to shield them from the dangerous blasts that were ricocheting throughout the surface of the island. "What are you…?" he muttered incredulously at her as she began to float them up into the atmosphere to hover next to Android 16.

"I'm pissed the fuck off, that's what," she snapped sharply, baring her fangs in a cross sneer. Sweatdropping at that, both Androids glanced at each other before Sofia huffed her exhale through her nose and let her energy sphere dissipate. "If you stay up here, he can't sneak attack you," she added in a sober tone, glancing with a stoic gaze at Seventeen before descending by herself back to the island floor.

She could sense Tien finally close to arriving. Stalking across the island towards the massive crater Cell had been bombed into, she avoided glancing over at the area she'd hidden Piccolo. Part of her just wanted to rush to his side and get him out of there, but she couldn't risk altering events further. _I can't leave with him until Goku gets here, at least_ —

Suddenly bursting up from the earth next to her, Cell roared in rage and leveled a bruising kick at her. Blocking the blow with her forearms, she hissed and skidded across the terrain before countering his next attack with a series of improvised evasive maneuvers. Hopping, sliding, and contorting elaborately out of the way of his flailing punches and tail jabs, she flipped and spun on her hands, knees and elbows to avoid Cell at all costs while she honed her aura into a more concentrated pulse around her, trying to time her next attack right.

Just as Cell charged up a blast and stretched his palm at her, Android 16 appeared at his side and punched him in the jaw, causing him to misfire and blow up another hill on the island. From his vantage point up in the air, Seventeen braced himself against the aftershocks and wind currents caused by the battle below as he glanced down and saw Eighteen was bracing herself against the onslaught at ground zero.

"Dammit!" He felt like a coward remaining out of the fray while his sister was in the thick of it. Phasing down to the ground, he began to rush towards her. "We gotta get out of here, sis!"

"No, Seventeen!" Android 16 whirled and shouted his warning before Cell took advantage of the distraction long enough to counter the towering Android with a blow that sent him flying and skidding to the dirt.

Snapping her gaze up to see Seventeen trying to rush to his sister's side, Sofia abandoned her planned attack and used her charged energy instead to propel her at a breakneck preternatural burst to cut Cell off at the pass and lift a defensive psionic shield to blast the bioengineered Android to slam and fly backwards against her ki force field.

"Get behind me!" She shouted over her shoulder to the cybernetic siblings.

"You think you can keep them safe?! I am INEVITABLE! I will become complete by any means necessary!" Cell bellowed at her, irate that she was unfazed by his power and somehow had risen to meet him head on. With she AND the big behemoth, they could continue to run interference until whatever reinforcements they were hoping for arrived. This was his only chance to absorb his Android brethren, and nothing would discourage him from his goals. Then, he glanced over to the side of the island that had the rocky outcropping that still remained even after all the tumultuous destruction and got a brilliant idea. "Hah…hahahah…" he began to chuckle. "Aw, well would you look at that," Cell drawled facetiously before gargling, "I guess I didn't finish the mighty Piccolo off after all."

Staring wide-eyed over at the outcropping, she realized Piccolo's unconscious form was revealed now that some of the outcropping had been blasted clear from Sixteen's last attack.

"You can't protect your comrade and my prizes at the same time, can yah?"

Gasping in horror, Sofia watched as Cell extended his palm to charge up an attack in Piccolo's direction. The fury of before was extinguished by the terror of losing Piccolo, and before she realized it, Sofia rushed forward with a speed burst towards Cell, shouting vehemently, "NO!"

Just as she managed to reach a distance to obscure his blast, Cell smirked and faked her out, spinning backwards and slamming the trunk of his tail across her face with enough force to propel her bone crushingly into an adjacent rocky slope.

Stunned, Sixteen stood opposite where Sofia had been sent flying, and realized he wouldn't make it to the others in time. "GET OUT OF THERE!"

By the time Seventeen realized what was happening, he turned to see Cell's stinger expand to swallow him. Managing to shove Eighteen away before it sucked him up and contracted around him, he shouted in horror as Cell began to absorb him. "Nooo! Let me go, you freak! Ahhh!"

Eighteen watched in horror as her brother was swallowed whole and suctioned into Cell's body through the tail, unleashing the needed activation of Cell's next transformation. Beginning to power up and go through his metamorphosis, Cell shouted as his body adapted and evolved to the newest form that would put him one step away from achieving perfect.

Shocked, Android 16 phased next to Eighteen and grabbed her hand before rushing her away from the transforming monster. Blasting out of the rubble her crash had created of the rocky slope, Sofia landed in a stumble just across from the others, and wavered as she stood. Realizing her left eye was injured and blood was running down the side of her head, she winced as she swiped her forearm across her temple and hissed, watching Cell achieve his second form. Thick lilac lips, blue eyes, and smug expression greeted her as he turned to smirk at her while Sixteen declared it was time for them to escape.

"Awww, that looks like it smarts!" Cell condescended at Sofia as Sixteen pulled Eighteen along behind him in a hasty retreat. Before they made it across the island terrain to the opposite shore, Cell had sped across to cut them off at the pass in a flash, disarming them with his new speed.

As he taunted Sixteen while taking a gander at his new form in the reflective waters, Sofia glanced over with her good eye to where Piccolo was, realizing Cell had toyed with her and lured her away from protecting Seventeen. "Tch!" she clenched her teeth as fury began to swirl in her blood again before slowly fueling her aura to engulf her frame.

Android 16 attempted to defend Eighteen from Cell, punching the newly transformed Android in the face with no result. In retaliation, Cell blasted Sixteen directly in the face and sent him flying before he skidded into the ground. Recovering, the towering Android turned to face his foe with part of the right side of his skull damaged and exposed.

"Hahah, nice to see an added power up with this new form. And look, you two match—" Cell's gravelly gloat was cut off when he glanced across the terrain and noticed Sofia's glowing form. The red aura was scintillating and rancorous as last time when she overwhelmed his defenses, and he noticed that her left eye was now mended as the gash in her hairline was preternaturally healing shut. "Gah—you can regenerate?!" Cell hissed in his new grumbling voice, vexed and exasperated by the unpredictability of this female menace to his goals. "Well, it's no matter. There's NO way you have the power required to even take one of my blows now, little girl. So," he paused as he turned his attentions towards Android 18. "Eighteen, you realize now there's no possible chance of escape, right? You have no other recourse than to submit. Join me."

As he petitioned, he began to lope towards her, until Eighteen placed her hand over her chest, a gesture he knew to herald her possible self-detonation. "That's right. Don't step any closer. I'll set off the bomb in my chest before ever letting you absorb me!" Android 18 threatened and stood her ground.

"Oh, come now, Eighteen…" Cell first began before continuing with Seventeen's voice, "Please don't do anything foolish. Listen – everything's gonna be ok. I was wrong about not wanting to be absorbed by Cell. You gotta let him absorb you right away! The power is amazing."

"No, Eighteen! It's just a trick," Sixteen shouted. "Cell is only using Seventeen's voice just to confuse you!"

"Shut it, tin man! I think she can recognize her own brother, after all," Cell scolded before continuing in Seventeen's voice, "It's good in here now, but with you, it'd be perfect! We would be the ultimate Android and could finally fulfill all our father's wishes. We can defeat Goku and turn this entire world into our personal playground!"

"STOP! That's not Seventeen," Eighteen shouted. "We _hated_ Dr. Gero for what he did to us, and there's no way Seventeen would ever care to fulfill his wishes!"

"Hurmgh! If you refuse to come to me willingly I will simply take you by force—"

"You sound super rapey when you say shit like that!"

Disarmed, Cell sweatdropped and glanced over at Sofia, who was still radiating with the foreboding aura. It began to pulsate outwards, undulating her hair and the wind about as she took her battle stance and uncurled her fists in favor of changing her blows to Crane fist style.

"What the HELL did you say?" Cell growled exasperatedly.

"I'm just saying—talking all "I'll just take you by force!" sounds super gross, Cell. Even for you. She told you No, and NO means _NO_ , alright?!" Sofia snapped judiciously, tilting her head sideways to fix him with a predatory look. "You were going to tell her next not to bother attempting to self-destruct, that it would take her too long to power up for the blast and you are SO quick now it would take you mere seconds to reach her before she could lift a finger…" she trailed off knowingly as Cell's eyes widened with shock, perplexed. "This whole time, you've never once bothered to wonder who the hell I am, and how I know the things I do?"

Scowling, Cell sneered, "You are an insignificant pes—BLAK!"

Sofia interrupted his harangue by phasing in and head-butting the towering Android in the face, sending him stumbling backwards a few paces before she appeared behind him and jammed her talon-like nails into his back from her Crane style jab that actually registered to the gloating foe as a decent blow. Coughing more in shock than in pain, Cell whirled around on his heel to gape furiously at her.

The look in her eyes was venomous and seething; similar to the glare she'd leveled on him back in Gingertown before he'd escaped. _What the hell is going on?!_

"Are you still drawing a blank?"

The dangerous tone she held was part sadistic, part conciliatory. It unnerved him, for some reason.

"All I need to know is you're in my fucking way!" Cell bellowed as he charged towards her, engaging her in an offensive that forced her to pour all her training, energy and effort into in the hopes she could stall him longer until Tien arrived or Androids 16 and 18 got the hell out of there. She knew her speed was the only thing keeping her from being mince meat, but she continued to let her fury fuel the power of her counters and blows. It was a supply that was vast, and her mind honed in on her surroundings and foe with eerie precision.

_Make him suffer for hurting our twin star!_

Eyes glowing dangerously garnet, she flew at him and put him on the defensive, which stunned Cell as he countered and burst across the terrain and found his blows not reaching the fatal damage points they should've. Sixteen was astounded as he tried to get to his feet, but with the damage he'd incurred, was unable to get his sensors and bearings to work.

"Sixteen, we got to get out of here!" Eighteen rushed to his side and pleaded, trying to help him up.

"No. I've sustained too much damage. Leave me and escape," the gentle giant instructed, glancing resolutely at her from his left eye.

Annoyed, Sofia spun in the air and aimed a barrage of energy blasts directly at Cell, discharging them like molten spheres of ki to rain down on the bioengineered Android as she shouted down over her shoulder, "WOULD YOU TWO GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE ALREADY?! I can't hold him off forever—!"

Turning as she sensed a retaliatory blast wave careening up towards her, Sofia narrowly evaded the blast before Cell appeared across from her and struck her with a precisely aimed kick that drove her violently to the ground. Bouncing upon impact, she cried out and gasped, feeling the wind knocked out of her lungs. Clawing her way to her side, she panted, trying to calm her breathing, but was thwarted when Cell appeared to loom over her and kicked her in the small of her back, tossing her to crash brusquely across the terrain, just yards away from Sixteen and Eighteen. Coughing, she warily pulled herself up to her hands and knees, wincing from the efforts. _Dammit! He just keeps coming—_

"Nice to see you where you belong: on your knees in front of me!" Cell declared with brash gusto as he stalked towards her.

Sofia scoffed a harsh laugh at that, completely involuntarily. "God man, that's sounds SO rapey!"

Twitching with indignant rage, Cell barked, "WHAT?!"

"Oh my god, please tell me you're not this obtuse! First the "I'll take you by force!" and now this?! What else you got lined up? Did that computer not teach you social cues like, at all?" Sofia chortled acerbically as she stood and continued to snicker at his expense, astonishing the other two Androids and completely leaving Cell bewildered and put out. "Ok, ok, seeing as you've been running around sticking it into people WITHOUT consent and just leaving mess in your wake, that does speak to your poor test tube upbringing, but c'mon!"

Completely besmirched and vexed, Cell's temper vein popped at the side of his carapace fitted head as he comically bellowed, "YOU ARE THE CRUDEST BEING I'VE EVER MET!"

Feigning being complimented by his angry insult, she tossed her hair coquettishly and declared, "Awww, do you mean it?"

Face-faulting at that, Cell recovered quickly to tower menacingly as he began to power up in a rampant rage. "That's IT! I've HAD it with your insane grandstanding, girl!"

Feeling an energy alert flash in the back of her head, Sofia glanced upwards just in time to see Tien finally arrive and float at a hover just above them. Seeing the devastated island without knowing the course of events that led to it, he was bemused for a moment until he saw the new version of Cell powering up lividly below. That being all he needed to see, Tien clasped his palms into a formation similar to a triangle before aiming down, honing in and targeting the monster just as he began to charge up his attack.

"What's so damned funny—?!" Cell began to snarl at her before pausing in his own power up to look up. "Huh?!" Realizing it was Tien, Cell scoffed, "You gotta be kidding me. What's he think he's gonna do?!"

"This!" Tien let his power up engage his attack just as he shouted, "TRI-BEAM-HAAAAAAAH!"

Seeing the energy careen down, Cell stood in the path while Sofia spun on her heel and dove out of the blast radius just as the Tri Beam's energy ray bashed down on Cell and smashed him down into the ground, leaving a giant, cavernous, squared crater.

Gritting her teeth, Sofia turned to see the devastation, floored by how close she'd come to being in such an iconic attack path.

"GO! Now's your chance," the triclops shouted over to them. "I can't hold him down for long!"

Shocked, Sixteen and Eighteen hesitated while Tien turned his attention back to Cell and blasted him again, and again. He continued to hammer his Tri Beam down on the monster like anvil after anvil that incapacitated Cell from being able to escape the radius of the blast, as it continued to grow and deepen.

Rushing to her feet, Sofia ran over and grabbed the front of Sixteen's light green armor and hoisted him up so Eighteen could help him stand and brace him against her side. "This is it! You both have to get out of here. We'll give you as much cover for as long as we can, but as soon as your sensors pick up Cell advancing from here, get to hiding, ok?" she directed in a beseeching tone, staring into their eyes and earnestly nodding for them to trust her.

The earth was quaking all around them; the effects from Tien's blasts were fluctuating and reverberating the very atmosphere.

"C'mon, Sixteen. We gotta go," Eighteen implored of her comrade and helped him take to the air.

"I'll come help as soon as I can!" Sofia shouted as they floated off and took flight, due southeast, as fast as they could.

"N-noooo!" Cell bellowed under the force of the blasts that were keeping him pinned down and attempted to rush free and follow his prey, when Tien hammered him again with another series of Tri Beams.

Using her senses, Sofia realized each blast was getting progressively weaker as Tien's life force dinged further and further down. "Tien! You have to stop!" she shouted up at him, knowing he was meant to get depleted to the level of exhaustion, but fearing he would push himself even beyond that intended limit.

"You get out of here too!" Tien shouted down at her before unleashing another cry and hammering Cell down.

"Tch!" She knew he wasn't going to last long and there was no arguing with the resolute fighter, so she sped across the remaining terrain and made a beeline for Piccolo. Falling to his side, she assessed his injuries. He was still unconscious, but the gaping wound Cell had created was mended shut. Pulling him up by his arm and anchoring it over her shoulders, she hoisted her twin star up and rushed as much as she could to get him to where Tien was and where she hoped Goku would be when he arrived. The entire time, the ground was quaking with the violent hammering from Tien's attacks. Managing to lean Piccolo against a remaining boulder, she ran back and shouted up at Tien. Before her very eyes, she saw the warrior pass out in mid air and begin to plummet to the ground.

Using her telekinetic abilities, she stopped his descent and brought him to a hover just before hitting the ground. Rushing to his side, she tossed his arm over her shoulders and hoisted him against her side as best she could, dragging him away from the enormous crater and leading him over to where Piccolo was. Struggling against the pain, Tien opened his three eyes to half-lids and winced. "No…get out of here," he wheezed up to her.

Sensing that Cell was ascending from the crater and assessing his current predicament and how they'd foiled his absorption of Eighteen, she knew it was only a matter of time before he directed his rage at them. "It's ok, Tien. You were badass, man. Promise to teach me that technique sometime. Cool?" she serenely smirked at him, wanting to ease his worry.

"How pathetic!"

Turning to glare over at Cell, she watched as he hovered in the sky above and sneered down at them.

"It's embarrassing that a weakling like this fool could detain me with such an attack…" he huffed tersely as he descended to the remaining island terrain, glaring mockingly over at Sofia, who was the last fighter standing. "Well then, got anymore wiseass remarks? Not going to yammer on to stall me more?" he baited as he began to stalk towards them, his paces making that distinctive metal gear clinching sound as he neared and Sofia stood and loped over to stand her ground and give Tien and Piccolo cover. "What? You really ran out of inane retorts?"

Sighing dramatically, Sofia slapped her arms down against her sides before giving him a half shrug and tossing her tussled hair out of her face with an irreverent huff. "It kinda sounds like you started to enjoy my banter, Celly-welly," she sing-sung almost impishly, her crimson eyes crinkling and her nose wrinkling derisively at his pinched expression and grunted reaction. "No, I get it. It happens. Totally grew on yah, right?"

"Tsk! Now you're just deluded, girl—" he began, then paused as something she'd prodded him with before popped into his mind. "Why don't you quit prattling on and say something useful. How _do_ you know what you do?"

"Oh, we can talk about that some other time," Sofia dismissed, waving his question off as she balanced herself on her heels flippantly. "More importantly… wanna know something I've seen that you haven't?"

Grumbling, Cell was clearly testing his own patience by engaging her instead of just doing what he wanted – decimating her and the other fighters to dust. She was happy to stall just a bit longer, in hopes Goku would arrive any second.

"Fine. I'll bite. What have you seen that I haven't?" He groused, crossing his arms and giving her a scrutinizing glower while his tail swayed back and forth behind him.

"I've seen you reach perfection," she stated simply, before adding as an aside, "And fail miserably."

Tensing, Cell used his sensors to detect whether she was lying, bluffing, or using some kind of deception. When he assessed that she was not, he furiously scowled at her. "That's an oxymoronic statement. If I achieve perfection, I obviously succeed!"

"Are you sure about that?" Sofia raised her brows dubiously at him.

"Grrr! I've entertained your drivel for long enough!" he bellowed, powering up in his loss of temper as he finally declared with his outstretched palm, "It's time you learn your place and bow to those that are superior than you, little girl!"

Just as he began to ready the energy needed for the kind of blast that would've leveled her and the entire island, the minute shift of energy and atmosphere caught his attention just as Goku suddenly appeared before him, standing protectively in front of the female menace.

"W-what?!" Cell balked, realizing the very warrior he'd been programmed to defeat stood before him. "You're...Goku."

"We finally meet, Cell," the Saiyan resolutely muttered, glaring at the foe while Sofia comically deflated in relief behind him.

'Oh my god, Goku! Took you long enough!'

'Sorry! I would've come sooner—!'

'Forget it. I'm glad you're here. As soon as you get an opening, we're hitching a ride with you, so get ready to use Instant Transmission!' Sofia offered in a hurry, hoping he wouldn't debate her on the matter.

When Goku resumed his back and forth with Cell, Sofia phased over and hoisted Tien against one side while wrapping her arm around Piccolo's waist to pull him against her as best she could as well before phasing back to stand behind Goku to grab the back of his gi shirt.

"One day, Cell. That's all I'll need to defeat you," Goku declared just as he raised his index and middle finger to his forehead before winking out of sight, leaving Cell exasperated and astonished.

"What the—?! When the hell did he learn such a technique!" he raged before reining in his temper. "Grrh, no matter. I'll resume my hunt. There's no way Eighteen's gotten far with that broken tin man she's towing along."

Blasting up to the sky, the semi-perfect Cell sped across the area in search for the nearest island his prey could be hiding out on, swearing that as soon as he reached perfection, he would devise a plan to subjugate and menace the very interlopers who'd gotten in his way.

* * *

As soon as the Senzu Bean had been absorbed by his depleted system, Piccolo snapped awake and bolted up, eyes darting about and shocked to be sprawled in the middle of the Lookout courtyard.

"Here, Sofia!" He heard Gohan exclaim and glanced over to see his old pupil hand his twin star a magical bean, which she popped into her mouth and chewed vigorously.

Bursting back to full strength and feeling her energy reserves brim over, she jumped to her feet and marveled at the sensation. "This is literally such an awesome feeling! Whew," she declared as she did a flurry of kata stances before flipping backwards and landing in a split. He surveyed her appearance, and other than her tussled hair and slightly tattered and dusty clothes, she looked fine, until he noticed the blood stain on her sleeve from where she'd wiped at her head wound during the battle.

Tien, who was stretching in relief after being healed by his Senzu, snickered at the display. "I'm not a fan of taking the beating required to get the recharge, but to each their own, I guess," he mused derisively as he glanced over at Goku while Sofia spun herself out of the split to breakdance back up to her feet. "It was great you were able to stall until Goku arrived. Thanks for getting us out of there, buddy," the tricplops mused.

Chuckling good naturedly, Goku scratched the back of his head. "Don't mention it! I wish I could've done more," he genuinely lamented. "Hey, I gotta say Tien, that was pretty crazy for you to do!"

"I didn't really understand what was going on, but once I saw that creature and how scared those other Androids looked, I knew I had to do something. We'd sensed Piccolo's power level drop…I couldn't just stand on the sidelines and let Cell run wild," the triclops grumbled, glancing self-consciously away when Sofia's eyes went wide at his modesty.

"C'mon, Tien! You did exactly what you were meant to do. Hell, if you hadn't shown up, I would've been Cell food—or worse," Sofia mused, punching the fighter platonically on the shoulder. "It was thanks to you that Sixteen and Eighteen were able to get away. You were badass!"

Standing to his imposing height, Piccolo rubbed the back of his neck idly as he glanced at Sofia while Gohan remarked, "Yeah! We were all worried you weren't going to make it. Luckily you thwarted Cell long enough for the other Androids to escape. It all turned out well in the end—"

"It's only a temporary victory. As powerful as Cell has become, I doubt there's anyone who could actually beat him. Not even Vegeta, or you, Goku. He's just at a level none of us can handle…" Piccolo soberly mused, deflating the sense of achievement amongst the others.

"Crap, that reminds me!" Sofia exclaimed. "I can't stick around here. I promised I'd go and help them as soon as I could—"

"Help _who_? The Androids?!" Piccolo cut in, his tone becoming testy.

"Yes! Cell is hunting them down so he can absorb Eighteen and achieve perfection," she explained, brows furrowing at him before adding, "Look, there's a delicate balance of events that have to occur here, and we ALMOST blew it before—"

"Blew WHAT?! It's not like you've told us anything, so we've just been adapting to the events as they've played out," Piccolo barked back at her, earning a tense stare from Sofia while the others awkwardly watched on.

"…I am _not_ going to continue to debate the merits of my intervention when just telling you when and how to adapt should suffice," Sofia tersely mused, all the irreverent zeal of just moments before gone as her crimson eyes became glowing, angry stones and her countenance turned into a stoic mask. "I'm assuming Bulma never called, which means Krillin rushed off to meet up with her to get the remote control that can power down the Androids way too late, which accounts for why Tien showed up way later than he should've, which meant I had to team up with Android 16 to fend Cell off until Tien arrived and they could escape," she resolutely snapped, dismissively swaying her hand out as she added, "Any minute now, Mr. Popo _should_ announce that Trunks and Vegeta are coming out of the time chamber. Bulma _should_ be on her way up here to deliver some training gear, and Krillin should be on his way to confront the Androids – BUT, any one of these events happening out of alignment or diverging even by minutes can toss everything else into disarray and lead to even worse shit!"

Stunned, they all just stood rooted in their places, absorbing her diatribe. When no one else retorted, Sofia huffed and continued caustically, "The fact that while I've been yammering on, Mr. Popo has NOT come and said anything, means that possibly, Vegeta and Trunks are going to leave the chamber later than they should…which is not good. Because of that, I have to haul ass to find Sixteen and Eighteen before Cell does—JUST to make sure stuff stays on track, and if it doesn't, figure out a way to stall or kick it back ONTO track...so give me a fucking break already, all of you."

With that, she stalked in a huff past the other fighters and towards the edge of the Lookout, leaving Goku to whistle, "Yeah, she's mad. You shouldn't have challenged her like that, Piccolo."

Growling at that, the Namekian warrior groused, "Shut it, Goku! You weren't there…"

"Look, Sofia was holding her own, obviously, so as much as we don't like it, I say we should trust her," Tien cut in, adding, "I saw her keeping that monster at bay. That's enough for me."

Angry, Piccolo stalked away to follow Sofia, not wanting to let her storm off once again into battle wildly.

_Why's he gotta keep giving me a hard time?!_ She thought, in a tiff. Just as she was steeling herself to blast off to the sky and descend en route for the islands Sixteen and Eighteen headed towards, Piccolo's voice stopped her.

'Do not rush off!'

Pausing, she turned to stare at him. "I am not arguing with you anymore—"

"Good. I'm not arguing with you either. I am telling you that we can't—I can't help you unless you give us more to work on," Piccolo grumbled, trying to keep all angst out of his tone.

"I've given you as much as I think I can get away with, Piccolo. I swear—" she began to protest when she noticed Gohan watching them argue while Goku and Tien discussed what had happened on the battlefield with Cell. Lowering her voice, she continued, "I know what I'm doing. There's so much I've studied about these battles, you guys, the bad guys – everything. I am not just fucking around out there for the glory—"

"I didn't say you were, Sofia," Piccolo sternly cut in. "I'm saying you're rushing into things without backup, and it's unsustainable. You cannot know it all; can't anticipate every possible scenario or be ready to resolve every issue. Operating on the belief that only you can intervene is foolish—"

"Do you want me to tell you everything?" she shot back defiantly.

Disarmed, Piccolo stared at her for a beat before his brow furrowed and his scowl deepened. "Stop suggesting reckless shit you know you can't do!" he cut in with a surly edge to his tone. He gave her a begrudging glare before his eyes fell to her bloodstained sleeve again. "You got hurt…"

Following his glance, she noticed the blood on her sleeve for the first time, and scoffed, snapping her fingers and materializing a completely new and clean version of the same outfit. "T'was but a mere flesh wound," she sarcastically chimed at him before deflecting, "I can handle myself, Piccolo. You trained me to take a beating and keep on ticking, remember?"

"That doesn't mean you should be offering yourself up to take the damn beatings, Sofia!" he growled at her, his temper flaring as he narrowed his eyes at the thought of her being blasted into the cliff side by Cell. "Stop being so flippant—!"

"Guys!"

Pausing in their turbulent exchange, Sofia and Piccolo directed their attention on Gohan as he ran over to them.

"I know I shouldn't ask too much, but I was wondering. Since Vegeta and Trunks haven't left the chamber yet, doesn't that mean things could be diverging?" Gohan leveled the question to Sofia, helping her rein in her temper towards Piccolo.

"Yeah, and this is a weird timeframe to begin with. You and Goku need to get in the time chamber soon. Until Trunks and Vegeta are out of there, every minute that ticks by means Cell is running amuck…" she glanced at Piccolo before kneeling down in front of Gohan. "Listen, kid. You need to worry about what you can control. Right now, it's training and doing everything you can to ascend beyond Super Saiyan. I probably won't be back until you've come out of the chamber, so," she leaned in and hugged him. "Good luck, and keep your dad well fed."

While she spoke, Piccolo took advantage of his newly acquired abilities from Kami to telepathically pry into her conscious to get an idea of what she'd experienced fighting Cell while he was injured. The flashes of her point of view showed him how she'd not only fought Cell audaciously, but also had put herself between him and the Androids. He saw how Seventeen had gotten absorbed, the horror of Cell's semi-perfect form, and how she'd rushed to protect him and incurred the wound that had led to the bloodstain on her sleeve. When he saw her pummeling her fist over and over again in the bioengineered monster's face, sensing the blistering rage she'd been in at the very moment, he disengaged and eased out of her conscious, stunned. _What the hell was that?!_

Smiling warmly, Gohan chuckled as she ruffled his hair. "I will. You can count on us! Be safe, Sofia," the young fighter beamed, reassuring her as she stood and offered Piccolo a parting glance.

"Good. I'll see you later," she promised before turning as she muttered telepathically to Piccolo, 'You're lucky Gohan's here and I can't tackle you right now, you sexy, stubborn stud.'

Mortified at that, Piccolo coughed and hid the slight violet blush that warmed the bridge of his nose. 'Dammit Sofia—!'

"Alright, I'm off!" she shot over her shoulder, jumped in the air, spun and waved comically at them as she plummeted off the Lookout's ledge before bursting her ki to propel her across the sky, red energy contrail leaving a streak in her wake.

Crossing his arms and huffing his scoff, Piccolo fumed while Gohan chuckled cheekily. "C'mon, kid. Let's go see what the hell is taking these guys so long…" he muttered as he turned on his heel and stalked back towards the palace, with Gohan rushing in tow.

'Old man.'

'Yes, Piccolo?'

'I want you to show me how to see what's happening down on Earth,' Piccolo demanded as he walked.

'…What're your intentions with applying omnipresent sight at a time like this—?'

'I'd think the chaotic situation we're in now calls for my using omnipresent sight,' Piccolo snapped impatiently at his elder counterpart.

'That ability is strictly to be used by the Guardian of Earth, Piccolo! It is not something that would be arbitrarily utilized without purposeful oversight—'

'Do you SEE a Guardian of Earth around here, old man!? I don't. And until that's rectified, you're showing me how to use it so I can keep tabs on what the hell is going on down there, got it?!' Piccolo argued, resolute and unwilling to back down.

'Uh, is this your way of trying to keep tabs on the battle, more specifically, Sofia?' Nail chimed in.

'You got a fucking problem with that, Nail?' Piccolo growled dangerously.

'No,' Nail answered judiciously. 'Not at all. Guru-sama used omnipresent sight to keep watch over all of us and to help provide counsel to the other village leaders. It's not something exclusive to the powers of a Guardian, Kami. I don't want to be contrary, but I agree with Piccolo. He should monitor what's going on down on Earth.'

Both Kami and Piccolo took pause at that, having not expected the native of planet Namek to take that stance.

'All right then…I will teach you, but please be mindful that you should be sparing with using omnipresent sight. You don't want to unwillingly pry into other's psyches or violate their privacy—'

'Spare me, old man. I'm not the one who's been Earth's voyeur for centuries! I'm not going to dig around in people's heads to see what they're doing in the bedroom like you did—'

'That was COMPLETELY unintentional and you know it, you obstinate—!'

'Enough! Both of you please stop quarrelling,' Nail shouted over them, silencing the two polar-opposite counterparts. 'Sofia needs our help. She cannot keep throwing herself into the fray, so anything that can be done to lessen the burden on her, we should do.'

"Everyone! I believe Vegeta and Trunks are about to emerge from the time chamber," Mr. Popo shouted as he rushed out of the palace, leading everyone to rush over and follow the ebony genie.

'We don't have much time, so let's get to it, old man…'

* * *

Meanwhile, Bulma was racing through the sky in her small jet, making silly baby talk with Trunks until she finally pried her cellular phone out of his firm grasp to make a call and realized it was on call waiting. "Oh no! You've kept the line busy, Trunks," she mused in a silly lilt, hanging up and jumping when the phone immediately rang.

Answering it, her father admonished her as he hurriedly explained how they'd been trying to get ahold of her and find out where she was so Krillin could meet up with her. Realizing she hadn't called ahead, she made due southeast and kept an eye out for the former monk before Trunks spotted him and yammered merrily.

Once Krillin had met up with her and gotten the instructions necessary for operating the emergency suspension controller, he told Bulma that all the Saiyans had gone up to the Lookout for training, advising her to head there.

As he watched her jet depart, Krillin cringed at the thought of having to come within a 30-foot range of the Androids in order for the remote to work. "How the hell am I getting that close to 'em without becoming toast?" he asked himself, sweating at the prospect of being confronted by the beautiful blonde.

Shaking his head, he blasted off for direct course to the island chain he'd last sensed Cell at. _I hope the others are ok!_


	8. Furious Symmetry

"Speech" 'Telepathy' _Thought_

As she flew across the sky, she tried to sense out where Krillin was, hoping he was heading towards the same chain of islands she was rushing towards when she suddenly felt the power up of Cell before her senses picked up the dwindling of mass clusters of life forces as they began to wink out of existence ahead of her. The feeling was jarring and sent a shiver down her spine. As she neared the island where they'd battled Cell on, she realized the bioengineered Android must've grown impatient and began decimating inhabited islands in the area in a impulsive attempt to flush Eighteen out of her hiding spot.

"You gotta be kidding me!" she growled to herself, furious that everything else was so behind the eight ball while Cell was right on track with the destructive barrage he was meant to carry out. Reaching out with her senses again, she could faintly feel Krillin somewhere in the far northwest. _Crap…if he has just gotten the remote from Bulma, he might not get to the island in time either…_

She tried not to fixate on all the delayed happenings and instead began to focus on a plan of action for stalling Cell from absorbing Eighteen until Vegeta and Trunks arrived. Her mind addled with contingencies and worries, it suddenly reminded her of the foreboding premonition she'd experienced while image training. _There's no way that can come true, right? I already jumped in to protect Piccolo and nothing bad happened, thank Kami…but wait. Was Cell imperfect? Or was he in his semi-perfect form? I can't really remember—!_

The tide below her lurched violently as the air currently turbulently blasted about her from the latest series of detonations Cell was discharging in the distance. Gritting her teeth, she reached out with her senses, straining to pick up the distinctive ki signatures of Vegeta and Trunks. "Dammit! Still nothing?! They should've gotten out of the chamber and been on their way here by now," Sofia huffed impatiently to herself before blasting her ki to swirl and propel her to her top speed across the sky. Slashing a red contrail across the horizon, she flew faster and faster until she could begin to see the outline of Cell, then his booming voice reverberated over the air currents at her.

"—COME OUT NOW, EIGHTEEN! IT'S FUTILE TO HIDE! I WILL BLOW UP EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE ISLANDS TO FIND YOU! IF YOU REFUSE TO BE ABSORBED, I WILL DESTROY YOU WITH IMPUNITY! DO YOU UNDERSTAND!? IF I CAN'T HAVE YOU, THEN NO ONE WILL!"

Cringing, Sofia covered her ears and winced as her sensitive hearing was rattled by his booming, rancorous tone. Eyes darting about to assess the number of remaining islands, Sofia realized there was really only one large island left within the radius Cell was floating over. _Crap-crap-craaaap! He can't blow it up!_

"Grrrrh! Fine. If she refuses to emerge, then I'll eviscerate her—!" Cell's furious growl was halted when he heard someone approaching quickly towards him. Spinning to see who it was, he was suddenly speared at a breakneck speed and flung down towards the last island's grassy terrain. When the assailant phased away to hover above him, the irate bioengineered Android sputtered before blasting out of the crater his collision had created to glare up at the familiar silhouette before his eyes adjusted to the sun's rays that were obscuring her appearance. "YOU AGAIN?!"

Floating down calmly, Sofia landed with a delicate pat of her boots before she spun and waved comically at him. "Hiyah! Long time no see, dude," she grinned, an exaggerated twinkle gleaming off a fang before she held out the peace sign towards him. "Before you get SUPER aggro with me, I got a proposition for yah," Sofia declared before hopping backwards up onto the closest bluff to stare down at him.

Cocking his head dubiously at her, Cell scowled as he catalogued her appearance and found it to be fully recovered and righted to it's pristine condition of previous. Curious, he sneered, "Why should I consider ANYTHING you have to offer after our previous exchange, girl—"

"Ok, first off – I'm not a 'girl'. I'm a grown ass woman, alright?" Sofia cut in crisply before blowing a cleansing breath of air out in a scoff and continuing. "Anyway, you should consider it because I'm not here to fight you, and I wanted to pick up on that cliffhanger from before…"

Glaring at her, he smugly thought in the back of his mind, _If she's interfering now, it means Androids 16 and 18 must be close by; maybe on this very island. She's stalling once again for them, but there's no chance they could sneak off now. Might as well get the needed intel I need now while I wait them out…_

"Well? I'm listening," he mused curtly, crossing his arms and letting his tail sway languidly behind him.

Phasing down from her perch, she appeared yards away from him with her arms folded thoughtfully behind her back. "Ok, but can you make one promise?"

Rolling his blue eyes, Cell grumbled, "You would trust me enough to keep whatever promise you've machinated to waste more of my time?"

"Sure! You have Piccolo, Goku and Vegeta's cells in you. They each have a sense of honor. And yeah, I'm discounting the Frieza/Cold cells a bit, but they'd keep a promise if it really didn't cost them anyway," Sofia reasoned with a derisive shrug. "So?"

Huffing in amusement, Cell relented smugly. "Fine. What's the promise then?"

Sofia had sensed the ding of Vegeta and Trunks' ki signatures in her mind, so she deduced they'd emerged from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, finally. Knowing she had to try a completely different tactic now that he was semi-perfect and beyond her power, she decided to attempt a new course of disarmament. "Promise to let a cease fire happen for the next half hour while we chat," she offered coolly as she waltzed over to the closest boulder and sat on it.

"Hah! Are you delusional?! You must be joking, or maybe I knocked some screws loose in that head of yours," Cell barked in a mocking cackle at her. "Why the hell would I agree to that after I've already spent all this wasted time trying to achieve perfection?! I'm obviously close to finding Eighteen, otherwise you wouldn't even be here aggravating me!"

Clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth before quirking a brow with a scathing expression leveled at him, she drawled, "Because you've already waited over 20 years to get to this very point. You grew in the lab, nurtured by Dr. Gero's computer, then you evolved and gobbled up enough bioenergy before looking for Seventeen and Eighteen and," she gasped, for effect, before continuing, "Trunks had already destroyed them. Then, you killed him, devolved, and hitched a ride in his time machine, only to get to this timeline four years ago and have to hibernate until a couple of days ago. You're already semi-perfect," she paused and crossed her arms as she mused, "What's waiting another half hour?"

Absorbing her alarmingly accurate retelling of his sequential history, Cell betrayed a perturbed glower. "What's the benefit of waiting ANY longer?!"

Sighing thoughtfully, she seemed to ponder before declaring dramatically with her arms outstretched for effect, "Because I'll play 20 questions with you in the meantime and answer anything you want!"

Falling face first to the ground, Cell sweatdropped before recovering to tower over her imposingly. He fumed and clenched his fists as he debated the merits of such a proposition. When she smiled impishly up at him, completely unfazed, he relented and scoffed, griping in a surly tone, "You're just a weird, insane little liar anyway. It's documented! Why would I believe any of your answers were truthful?!"

Standing suddenly to meet his imposing stance with an earnest look in her crimson eyes, Sofia suddenly extended her hand out, with her little finger outstretched. "I pinky swear!"

Brow ridges furrowed and feeling completely disarmed, Cell glared at her extended pinky finger before leveling her with a dubious stare. "You are so damned weird…"

Laughing at that, she scratched the back of her head as she sighed, "Yikes, talk about déjà vu! I'm pretty sure that's not the first time I've heard that…"

"I am _NOT_ pinky swearing…" Cell groused in a terse snarl.

"Ugh, FINE! Then, scout's honor—"

"Are you even a damned scout?!"

"Uh…no. Ok fine!" Sofia chirped as she placed a hand over her heart and raised the other palm open as she declared, "I solemnly swear to answer your questions truthfully. I'll tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing BUT the truth, so help me. Cross my heart and hope to die."

Even though the entire exchange was ludicrous and surreal, Cell huffed and stalked over to sit across from her on a boulder opposite hers. He figured any information he could learn from the peculiar woman was data that would be worth the hassle. After all, she clearly was stalling to not just provide cover for his prey, but perhaps for other help to arrive. The prospect of fighting more of Earth's warriors who would only serve to prove his undeniable superior strength and skill was something that intrigued him.

"Fine. I accept. A truce for the next half hour…but I get to ask the first question," the lilac-lipped, steely eyed Android mused, crossing his arms and sitting in a open-legged stance on his boulder while his tail idly swayed behind him.

Spinning irreverently on her boulder as if it was stool chair, Sofia crossed her legs and leaned forward on one elbow as she smirked at him. "Alright, shoot."

Staring her down, he measured her expression and sized up her form to allow his scrutinizing senses to assess her.

"What the hell _are_ you?"

* * *

Meanwhile, across the overgrown vegetation from the grassy grove of the island, Sixteen and Eighteen watched on from their hiding spots, completely perplexed by the turn of events and the interaction occurring far from them.

"I don't get it. Why's she here just talking to Cell?!" Android 18 muttered, wanting to stay still and quiet to avoid any detection.

Sixteen, who was huddled against the rock wall, leaned forward to listen more intently. A little chipmunk was pleasantly sitting on his shoulder as he catalogued the conversation occurring on the opposite end of the island from them. "Sofia is stalling—trying to help misdirect Cell away from his search of you. She knows she is not powerful enough to engage him in direct combat. Her comrades must be regrouping for their next offensive against Cell. My scanners sense two advancing power levels—"

"We should get out of here while we can then!" she whispered tensely.

"Negative. We would not be able to escape detection if we move from our current location. A better strategy would be to wait until Cell is engaged in battle. For now, we should just stay where we are and wait," the gentle giant mused, glancing at her with his undamaged eye as he petted the head of a cheery squirrel that was sitting on his outstretched leg.

"Tch!" Eigteen huffed, not knowing what other recourse they had now.

* * *

After Bulma had arrived with baby Trunks to the Lookout, she had delivered the new Saiyan armor she'd engineered and had decided to stick around. They'd all changed and the Sons feasted before entering the time chamber, leaving the others to quarrel about the appropriate course of action against Cell.

Watching Vegeta and her son from the future depart to fly directly to battle the monster Android, she entertained Trunks with idle play around the courtyard while Tien and Piccolo tersely waited for the battle to begin down below.

"Are you sure the remote you gave Krillin will work to deactivate the Androids?" Tien asked Bulma while she let Trunks crawl after a butterfly.

"Yep! He'll need to get into pretty close range for the signal to work, but it's designed to deactivate their mechanical circuitry and leave them defenseless. Once that happens, they can be easily destroyed before Cell absorbs Eighteen," the sea foam-haired scientist explained simply, smiling as Trunks sat back and giggled at the fluttering butterfly. "Hopefully Vegeta and Trunks get there just in time to help him get the job done…"

Over by the edge of the Lookout, Piccolo was watching the world below. Using omnipresent sight, he could see Vegeta, Krillin and Trunks convening from different directions at different rates of speed towards the island Cell was detected on. He could see Krillin had the remote, and that Vegeta had floored ahead of his son with the deliberate intention of fighting Cell all on his own.

As he reached out further, he honed in on the island itself and could see the two Androids huddled in their hiding spot, pinned down and unable to sneak away. Reaching out further, he expected to see Sofia battling Cell somewhere near by, so when he instead saw her sitting pleasantly across from him in the grove on the island, chatting, he'd been startled into dumbfounded shock.

'What the hell is she DOING?!' Piccolo gasped.

'Reach out a little further, Piccolo. That way you can pick up what they are saying,' Kami instructed, helping him naturally easy his mind into sensing beyond the distance to hone in on all the happenings specific to that location.

"—posterous! You mean to tell me you're from ANOTHER dimension?!" He heard Cell inquire sarcastically.

"How is that any more preposterous than a bioengineered Android come from the future to achieve perfection, pray tell?" Sofia shot rhetorically right back at the semi-perfect Android, riling him to grunt while his tail whipped about agitatedly. "Seriously. I know your sensors can detect elevated vitals. You can figure out whether I'm bullshitting you or not."

Humming, Cell relented, grumbling, "That still doesn't explain a damn thing! For that matter, what did you mean from before—about having seen me reach perfection?"

'Am I taking CRAZY PILLS?! Why the hell is she engaging him in conversation!' Piccolo balked irately. Tension was pulling at his expression and leaving him unguarded while Tien and Bulma idly chatted.

'I think I know what she's up to,' Nail mused cautiously, earning grunts of confusion from the other two Namekians. 'Come now, Piccolo. You mean after all these years, you've not picked up on this?'

'What the hell are you talking about, Nail?!' Piccolo barked, beginning to really lose his temper.

"—see what happens, so I'm not being metaphorical with you. Anyway, it's MY turn to ask a question," Sofia shot back boldly as she leaned back on her boulder. "So what's the plan once you achieve perfection and destroy the Earth?"

Taken aback by her earnest question, Cell eyed her keenly. "I'll take over the universe, of course!"

"Alright, but then what?" she inquired, eyes attentively staring at him, as if truly intrigued to understand.

"What the hell are you ON about?! The answer was clear—"

"No, I mean—you destroy the Earth, then move on to take over the universe, but before that you'll have to battle other beings from throughout the universe to gain supremacy, right? After ALL of that—defeating all opponents and ruling over the universe—then what?" she remarked, delicate brow rising for him to continue.

'Sofia is using a psychological tactic of disarming and keeping her opponents off balance. She's putting him out, forcing him off his game with her demeanor and keeping him on his toes without directly threatening him. Actually, her unthreatening banter is more off-putting to him than if she was declaring to beat him in battle,' Nail explained while they listened to the repartee. 'I think she's developed this tactic as a defense mechanism to keep people away from knowing her true motives and feelings. It creates a sense of intimacy that she controls by disarming the other person in an attempt to either keep them preoccupied or lure them into dropping their guard.'

Kami hummed in understanding. 'I see. She's keeping him idly preoccupied while giving the impression of dropping her guard so he thinks he can do so as well.'

'Exactly. She uses the tactic differently depending on the subject or opponent. Think about it: she knows everyone and everything. What makes each of us tick, to what our goals are. Not to mention our personalities. Essentially, she adapts her demeanor to suit the need and either disarms, placates or roils her target. It looks like she's chosen a combination of all three to keep Cell distracted until Vegeta and Trunks can arrive,' Nail stated matter-of-factly.

'…' Piccolo absorbed the other Namekian's assessment of his twin star's tactical prowess, and realized he was right. She'd done the same to him the first time they'd met and throughout most of their time training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. He'd chalked up her brazenness and twisting of things to just be manipulative goading, but had forgotten all about it, since that had all been before they'd come to realize who they were to each other and had fallen in love – forming a bond that allowed and reassured her into being her true self with him: unguarded and loving, albeit mischievous and sultry.

It was no different than the stalling tactic he'd applied on Cell back in Gingertown before he'd regenerated his injured arm. He'd suckered the Android to get the information he needed and buy himself time. Sofia was doing her version of that.

He still didn't like it.

"—your questioning on this subject is obtuse," Cell snapped haughtily at her.

"Your answer is obtuse," she shot back with a silly lilt to her tone. "If you don't know the answer, that's fine—"

"It's a stupid line of questioning!" he barked at her, almost impetuously as he crossed his arms tighter across his chest.

"Ok, then let me give context: Once you take over the universe, do you sit down and appreciate it? Like, do you bask in it for a while before you realize there's nothing else to do?" she stretched her legs out and reclined more on her boulder. "I just think if you've defeated EVERYONE in the universe in order to rule it, you then have nothing to do. You'll be sitting around all alone, bored, wondering what else there is to achieve," Sofia offered genuinely, pursing her lips in thought as she considered the prospect.

"It seemed to work just fine for Frieza, did it not?" Cell challenged, scowling.

"But see? It didn't. Frieza did not rule the universe. He had an intergalactic force with the ambition to eventually rule the universe, but by no means was he there yet!" she replied as she combed her nails through her hair, eyes crinkling thoughtfully at him.

"…" Cell absorbed that, and stopped scowling as he actually considered the premise.

"Alright, your turn!" Sofia remarked, as she glanced at him congenially.

Her red eyes were free of guile as far as he could sense, which irked the semi-perfect being. "How is your being from another dimension made you able to know the things you know…what'd you mean by having seen what happens?" he asked, steely blue eyes burrowing into hers.

Sofia could sense him begin to recoil, and figured he would rile soon and stop wanting to play the game she'd crafted. Luckily, she sensed Vegeta finally nearing the site, which was somewhat a relief.

"In my old dimension, we could see into the timelines of other realities. Some studied these other universes and realms with avid interest and learned everything about them. Others observed different realities for mere sport, with no qualms or real interest. I guess you could say I'm the former when it comes to this realm," Sofia explained, stretching the truth but not enough for him to detect. After all, she'd spent the past three years crafting the rationale, with only Piccolo, Kami and Nail knowing the truth.

"Hrmph," Cell grunted. "Sounds the same like people watching television to me."

Sofia comically fell sideways off her boulder at that before quickly recovering and laughing boisterously, as if it was absolutely ridiculous. "Hah, right?! Can you even imagine…" she giggled, grinning at him.

Cell sneered. "Are you making fun of me?!" he groused as he leapt to his feet.

"Nah, not yet anyway," she chortled, resuming her aloof seating and seeming unfazed by his temper as she waved at him to sit down. "My turn!" she chirped before her expression turned eerily serious. "Cell: do you have any kind of plumbing behind that codpiece, or is it just for show?"

Balking at her, the bioengineered creature face-faulted to the ground before recovering to power up furiously as he bellowed, "YOU ARE BY FAR THE CRUDEST MOST INSOLENT WOMAN I'VE EVER MET!"

Ground beginning to shake, Sofia hopped up to the air and comically shouted, "Awww, c'mon! It's an honest question—you're made up of the cells of a bunch of different people but it's not clear whether I should be assuming your gender or not, that's all! Really no need to be testy about it," she acerbically shouted down at him before phasing out of his way as he barreled up to strike her. "Seriously?! It hasn't even been 15 minutes—!"

"I've tolerated your audacious disrespect long enough! SCREW THE TRUCE!" he bellowed with furious exasperation as she kept avoiding his punches and phased in and out around him. Deploying a precisely aimed telekinetic burst, she pushed Cell to spin backwards before he halted his ascent and looked around to locate her.

"FINE! I'll just keep assuming your gender, so go ahead and act like a dick," she shouted back at him as she powered up and surprised him by clasping her hands together after she appeared on the edge of the nearest bluff before she began the motions for an iconic attack he knew very well.

"What the—?!"

"Kaaaaaa-meeeeeeeh-haaaaa—" she recited as the energy began to collect and flow into her cupped hands, glowing a frosty blue with an outer membrane tinged red from her signature energy aura.

Before she could recite the last syllables, however, Vegeta appeared in the sky above them, skidding to a seamless halt. Gaping up at the new arrival, Cell tensed, glaring sidelong to see Sofia drop her attack and smirk. _That's why she's been stalling?!_

"Took you long enough!" she shouted up at Vegeta as she placed her hands on her hips.

From his vantage point up on the Lookout, Piccolo breathed a sigh of relief. 'Finally! Damned, arrogant Saiyan—' he began to huff when suddenly he sensed Sofia recoil and glance up in his direction. 'There's no way she can sense me watching, can she?'

'I told you to be mindful! Those with acute telepathic sensibilities could realize you're watching them if you're not careful,' Kami admonished, adding, 'She might not be able to pinpoint where the foreboding feeling is coming from, but if you're not aware of the level of attention you're funneling through your omnipresent reach, she could not only sense you, but repel you from spying on her.'

'Feh…great. Now you tell me,' Piccolo grumbled while he watched Trunks arrive as well, who stared down at Sofia and realized she'd been handling Cell on her own due to their late exit from the time chamber.

Meanwhile, from their vantage point hidden amongst the island's dense vegetation and rocky outcroppings, Androids 16 and 18 watched on, trying to absorb and make sense of the peculiar happenings and harried developments unfolding across the way.

"Could all the stuff she told him really be true…?" Eighteen marveled.

"It is likely. Dr. Gero had briefly studied the multi-verse theory, and had surmised that the possibility of other dimensions and realms could exist. But he did not devote much time to it once he joined the Red Ribbon Army," Sixteen answered, glancing at her from his uninjured eye when she turned to face him. "In any case, I do not detect deception from her, and neither does Cell."

"Hmph. Great," the cool blonde mused, adding, "Just more data the old man did NOT share with us…anyway, it looks like Vegeta intends to fight Cell. He couldn't even manage against me in battle, so what the hell chance does he have against Cell?"

Sixteen did not respond as he turned his attention back to the developing confrontation ahead of them on the far side of the island.

"Hah, well look who it is. My, gone through some changes as well since we last met, eh Trunks?" Cell sarcastically mused as the lavender-haired fighter descended to land several yards behind Vegeta.

Trunks just glared at the semi-perfect Android until he sensed someone phase in next to him.

"Whew! What took you guys so long?" Sofia whispered over at him.

Blinking and grunting sheepishly, Trunks muttered apologetically, "I'm sorry! I got sidetracked training on my own, which I guess means we were in there for a day and 20 minutes out here."

"Would you two shut it and let the adults speak?" Vegeta grunted over his shoulder at them before addressing Cell. "Sorry to keep you waiting, but I must say, I expected much more from you, seeing as you have my stolen cells within you."

"As much as your arrogance is amusing to me, Vegeta, there's no hope for any of you to stand up against my power. Whether it's three, or twenty of you—it won't matter against me, so go ahead and find more fools willing to fall at my hands, if you'd like," Cell cockily groused, lips pulling into a smug smirk.

"Don't misunderstand. They're both to be mere spectators here. I intend to fight you one-on-one," Vegeta sauntered cockily at him. "If either of them get in my way, I'll be _very_ angry, so I'm sure if they know what's good for them, they'll stay clear of my battle."

Eyes shrinking to conspiratorial dots, Sofia glanced over at Trunks before shaking her head ruefully while the lavender-haired fighter simply scowled deeper.

"Your delusions of grandeur are legendary, but you must be warped to think you can stand a chance against me, Vegeta," Cell snickered condescendingly at the Saiyan prince.

"Well then, let's just get on with it already. I'm going to wipe that ugly smirk right off your face," Vegeta mused before beginning to power up, already in his Super Saiyan form, but plateauing his energy beyond a level she'd not sensed before.

Eyes growing wide as she felt his energy scintillate off of him, Sofia dully heard Trunks muse, "I guess father plans to go full force, right from the start."

Ignoring as the air current whipped against her and tussled her long hair about, she spared an appraising glance to the area of the island she suspected Androids 16 and 18 were hiding at. "I'm going to hang back. I'll intervene if the situation calls for it—"

"Wait, so what should I do—?" Trunks began but Sofia raised her hand to his mouth and hushed him comically.

"Quit asking for spoilers. You just do what you naturally would and stop overthinking things. For now, let Vegeta have his fun…" she declared as she continued to stare at the Saiyan Prince's insane power up.

Just as he continued to spiral his energy higher and higher, Vegeta's aura literally shook the island, sending pulsing quakes and psionic turbulences across the surface and through the atmosphere.

Piccolo and Tien could feel it from up on the Lookout, while Krillin sensed it from his distance and decided it was time for him to catch up to all the action.

The former monk's unique energy signature dinged in the back of her mind as she felt him approaching at a quick speed towards the island. Levitating to the sky just as Vegeta's first blow to Cell's chin splintered the ground they had stood on, Sofia used the opportunity to glance at Trunks and assess his intentions. As he levitated up from the falling ground he had been standing on alongside with her, she saw he was intently watching his father. His blue eyes were clear and focused. She knew at some point he would butt heads with Vegeta, literally, over the battle taking a turn when Cell preyed on the prince's vanity and thirst for showing off his power, but for now it seemed like things were back on track.

Trunks caught her glance and looked over at her with a startled stare. "Something wrong?"

"Huh? No! Not at all," Sofia platonically grinned to reassure him as she redirected her thoughts to a reasonable excuse to use for giving him the appraising once over. "I was just thinking that the long hair suits you," she offered and genuinely smiled at him.

Her crimson eyes gleamed like rubies underneath the sunny day and her expression softened as her dark hair undulated and caressed her face and shoulders, causing Trunks to divert his gaze bashfully as his heart skipped a beat for some reason.

Vegeta continued to show out, putting Cell on defense and stunning the Android with his optimized prowess. From his vantage point on the Lookout, Piccolo materialized his trademark turban and cape canopy as he sensed Vegeta's power skyrocket. Using omnipresent sight, he watched as the Saiyan made short work of ruffling the Android's feathers, thrashing him brutally into the sea and pummeling him about until Cell crashed back onto the meadow. "Amazing…his power just keeps rising. It feels like—" Piccolo's astonished mutter was cut off when Bulma shouted over at him and Tien.

"What's going on down there?!" the woman demanded to know as she picked up a fussy Trunks and cooed at him.

"It feels like Vegeta's going all out! He might even be stronger than Cell now," Tien mused, only having his heightened senses to guide him on the battle happening down on Earth.

Redirecting his attention, Piccolo watched on as Vegeta let Cell bash a punch across his cheek, only to gloatingly taunt the Android as he wiped the blood from his lip with the back of his gloved hand. "If that's the best you can do, then I suppose there's no reason for me to draw this out, is there!" the Saiyan prince drawled dangerously.

'As long as Sofia remains on the sidelines, that means things are progressing just as they should,' Kami commented, trying to reassure his younger counterpart.

Grunting at that, Piccolo saw Sofia turn and glance upwards. Thinking she was sensing him again, he tensed until she energetically waved at someone in the sky.

Noticing Krillin had arrived and was hovering high above the sky over the island, Piccolo wondered why the monk seemed nervous.

Sofia suddenly phased up to hover next to him. "Hey, Krillin! Got the remote from Bulma?" Sofia greeted and asked, noticing he had the controller in a death grip.

"Yeah! B-but, I don't' see the other Androids and Cell looks different…" the shorter man croaked, feeling guilty for wanting to see Android 18 alive and well at such a detrimental time.

Leaning in to conspiratorially whisper, Sofia cupped her hand over her mouth as she reassured the fighter, "She's ok, Krillin. Sixteen and she are hiding below."

Sputtering, Krillin sweated as he yammered, "Huh?! What do you mean? I mean—so she's not been absorbed?! That's good! So then Cell's new form—"

"It's his semi-perfect form. Vegeta's got him handled…for now. Anyway, I'm just here to watch and help if needed. So far, we're good," she replied glibly, gesturing down to Trunks. "We're just going to stay on the bench and let Vegeta have his fun. You keep doing your thing. Cool?"

"Whoa, Trunks looks different too! He bulked up. Hopefully he's as powerful as Vegeta now," Krillin chimed, staring down at the long lavender-haired fighter.

"We'll see," Sofia sing-sung before winking at him. "I'll be popping around for a bit to get a better vantage point of things, but do me a favor and just act naturally, k?"

"Uh, sure thing, I guess," the former monk honestly retorted, not sure what to think of her remark.

Giving him a thumb's up, Sofia phased out of sight, using her preternatural speed to traverse the island terrain below, undetected.

Leaping, skipping, flipping and vaulting around barriers and tough terrain, she made it a point to keep her sense keenly aware of the battle occurring behind her, especially with every shake and tremor that would course through the island. Phasing down into the particular pocket outcropping, she landed in a crouch across from Eighteen and Sixteen, who whirled and froze at realizing they'd been discovered before darting a cautious look between each other.

"Hey, sorry I'm late," Sofia whispered and remained in her crouch, extending her hands to her sides in a non-threatening gesture. "I'm only here to check on you guys. Are you both ok?"

Tensing, Eighteen just stared at her, not letting her guard down while Sixteen responded, "Yes. Thanks to you and Tien Shinhan, we were able to escape and take shelter here. However, the probability of avoiding Cell for another escape is very low."

Nodding, Sofia approached Sixteen to kneel next to him and check his damage. She noticed all the critters that had congregated amiably around the gentle giant of an Android, and smiled.

"What're you doing here anyway? Why are you helping us!?" Eighteen inquired, not sure who to trust other than Sixteen.

"You heard my convo earlier, right?" Sofia asked as she turned to address the blonde. When Eighteen nodded and begrudgingly looked back at the battle as Cell was being beaten senselessly by Vegeta, Sofia continued, "I can't tell you more than this, so please believe me: I'm here to help make sure things play out within the sequence of events they're supposed to occur in. I don't want harm to come to either of you."

Absorbing that, Eighteen relented. "Will you help us get away then?"

As Sofia was about to answer, Sixteen spoke. "She cannot, Eighteen. We must adapt as best as we can to the situation on our own. Her intervention has only been in the moments where events were diverging out of their predetermined pattern," he resolutely mused, glancing up at Sofia with his undamaged eye. "If it was preset that we were to escape this island and were being impeded from doing so, she would aid us now. But that is not the prescribed course of action. She is just assessing that we have not diverged beyond our intended actions," he murmured stoically and smiled at Sofia when her eyes softened. "Please do not worry. Return to the battlefield. That is where you'll be needed."

Resting her hand on his shoulder, Sofia nodded. Standing, she turned and offered Eighteen a fortified expression before she phased out of sight.

* * *

'I can't believe it. Vegeta could actually do it.'

'His power has become quite formidable, but he's clearly just toying with Cell,' Nail mused.

'I'm afraid the Saiyan Prince is treating this battle as mere sport…' Kami added.

'Dammit…he better not be. He should just obliterate Cell now while we have the chance!' Piccolo growled, feeling impotent as he was relegated to stand back and watch the action from the safety of the Lookout. 'I should've done it myself when _I_ still had the chance…'

'Agreed!' both of the other Namekians mused, earning a sweatdrop from the imposing warrior. Growling begrudgingly, Piccolo focused back on the battle below when he saw Sofia phase back in to stand next to Trunks, who was now standing on a peak adjacent to his father's as Cell panted and fumed on the rocky shore below.

"Ooooh, what'd I miss?" she impishly drawled and leaned her elbow on Trunk's muscular shoulder as she feigned aloof interest.

Tensing and clearing his throat, Trunks murmured, "Father's been breaking Cell down, but I'm afraid he's just playing mind games. He could've destroyed him ten times over by now."

"Are you ready to face reality? You're outclassed in every way—and not just by me," Vegeta condescended in a dark chuckle to Cell, who was balking and shaking with fury at the Saiyan as he verbally jabbed, "Trunks there has nearly the same level of power as I do. He's not as powerful as me—of course, but he could easily match you and put you to shame. So, not only are you not the most powerful being in the universe as you claim, you're not even second best!"

Sofia playfully elbowed Trunks in the side and wiggled her brows at him as if to say, 'See? He just paid you a compliment!' while Trunks blushed slightly at the exchange. His father didn't know the truth, after all, and he intended to keep it that way. He was merely toying with Cell now, and there was just no way his ego would allow him to accept him as his equal, even after all their training.

Trembling with rage, Cell could only ball up his fists and listen as Vegeta continued his mocking barrage.

"You're a disappointment. I was hoping to test my limits, and instead I get a fight that was barely a warm up!"

Sofia whistled at that, and braced herself as Cell fumingly powered up, throwing a temper tantrum as he stomped his feet and caused the ground to shake as he bellowed, "HOW CAN THIS BE HAPPENING!? I—AM—CELL!"

Trunks scowled, watching the display while Sofia crossed her arms and leaned on one hip, knowing what was coming next. Vegeta simply watched the display, mocking smirk quirking his chiseled features while his golden ki aura radiated around him.

"I WAS SO CLOSE! I WOULD'VE ACHIEVED MY PERFECT FORM AND BECOME UNSTOPPABLE. DAMN YOU, EIGHTEEN!" Cell hollered irately, triggering Krillin to realize he should find Eighteen as he'd originally intended in order to use the remote controller Bulma built. As the former monk blasted off to scour the island, the others continued to watch Cell lose his cool. "Why must I suffer this humiliation?! I could've achieve perfection and made them all pay—!"

"What are you going on about? You honestly think this perfect form of yours could've given you any chance against me?" Vegeta gloatingly mused as he descended down to hover next to Cell, who was cringing and shaking with fury.

"YES! I would've become faster, stronger and infinitely more skilled—I'd have no match—I would've become the most perfect, unstoppable being no one would be worthy of challenging!" Cell stammered in an angry harangue before Vegeta undercut his argument with a swift kick across the face that sent the Android flying to smash through rock and tumble head over heels across the rocky terrain before be landed in a pained huddle.

Growling, Cell pulled himself up and kept lamenting the lousy turn of events, until he decided to change tactics. "W-wait! You don't want to really win this way, do you?! I know you, Vegeta! Testing your limits and meeting a worthy challenge head-on is what motivates you—!" Vegeta interrupted his desperate rationale with a punch that sent him sprawling face-first into the dirt. "Gruagh! LISTEN TO ME!" Cell bellowed, only to earn a heavy kick to his side that flew him up in the sky before he stopped his ascent and snarled down at Vegeta. The Saiyan was no longer below him, and was instead behind him. The open-palmed ki blast Vegeta planted in his lower back felt like a battering ram as it drove the Android violently to the ground. The crater his crash left was deep enough that he was clawing his way out of it, huffing and panting in more than exhaustion.

"This is pathetic. Complete waste of time," Vegeta sneered as he landed before him and glared at him derisively.

Gritting his teeth, Cell seethed, "You know damn well if I'd reached my perfect form—!"

"What? You'd have a shred of hope besting me?! Don't make me laugh! Your sniveling haggling is only proving how desperate you are to sway me into getting what you want, Android," Vegeta grunted, arms crossed confidently.

From their vantage points, Sofia and Trunks watched on. While Trunks wished his father would just bring an end to Cell already, Sofia knew Vegeta would eventually relent and let Cell hunt Eighteen down in order to absorb her and reach his perfect form.

"I'm only pointing out the facts, Vegeta! You can't honestly call yourself the most powerful fighter in the universe if you've not fought against another that meets or even surpasses you in strength—and I AM that being! Let me achieve my perfect form," Cell continued as he climbed out of the crater. "You know you can't resist the prospect of witnessing the glory of unmatched power, let alone the opportunity to clash against it!"

"Don't listen to him, father…" Trunks muttered to himself.

Sofia clenched her fists, knowing now would be the time Vegeta agreed to the proposition and unleashed the tilted sequence of events—

"I'm growing _bored_ by this. Why should I waste any more of my time watching you scrounge around looking for that blonde Android? No one can sense her location and I am not in the mood to be charitable and let you look for the proverbial needle in a haystack," Vegeta barked impatiently, scowling at Cell when he sweated and cringed, sensing the mercurial fighter was seriously unmoved by his propositioning.

_What the hell?! Vegeta's not going to let him go find Eighteen?!_ Sofia balked, arms dropping to her sides as she watched on while Trunks breathed a sigh of relief next to her.

"You don't HAVE to wait long!" Cell pleaded, his blue eyes becoming cunningly focused as he turned around and leveled his gaze behind him. " _She_ knows everything's that's supposed to happen, right?! That means she knows _exactly_ where Android 18 is hiding!" Cell suddenly reasoned, pointing dramatically at Sofia as he added, "All she has to do is point me in the right direction. I promise you, nothing will stand in my way once I know Eighteen's location…"

Recoiling at that, Sofia paled as Vegeta glanced at her, scrutinizing glare honing in, as he seemed intrigued by the proposition, finally.

"Huh?!" Sofia gaped before comically looking around. "You BETTER not be pointing at me, Cell!"

"I am! You're not the only one to get something out of that asinine Q&A from before, _girl_. All of this can be settled very easily without imposing any longer on 'Super Vegeta' over here," Cell chuckled as he wiped his forearm across his grit-covered features. "You cannot deny it…"

"Don't listen to him, father! He's only goading you—" Trunks shouted as he stood in front of Sofia, protectively.

"Silence!" Vegeta barked at Trunks. Pondering for a tense pause, he deliberately glared at Cell before sighing magnanimously. "Well then, instead of just standing off to the side, it might be worth my while for you to do _something_ useful, stealth."

"Dammit! You're seriously going to risk altering events like that?!" Trunks snapped at his father before Sofia nudged him firmly out of the way. "Sofia—?"

"What're you gonna do if I refuse? Team up and beat it out of me?" Sofia sharply sneered as she pointed dramatically at Cell and hollered, "He's wasted even more of your goddamned time by pitting you against us, Vegeta—!"

Before she could finish her shout, Vegeta had phased in front of her and grabbed her by the front of her top. "I wasn't making a suggestion, stealth."

"Father!" Trunks yelled and tried to get between Vegeta and Sofia. "LET GO OF HER!"

Riled, Sofia used a psionic force field blast to propel both Saiyans away from her before powering up furiously and bellowing, "YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME! YOU ARE ROYALLY PISSING—ME—OFF!"

Shocked, Trunks watched as she dropped her protective force field and flew at Vegeta, but before she reached him, she vaulted over him and flew directly at Cell, who had been gloatingly relishing the turbulent standoff he'd caused before he grunted and his eyes went wide at the level of blistering fury she was radiating with. "W-WAIT—!"

Enraged but viciously focused, she growled as she uppercut Cell with a full force punch that sent him spiraling upwards to the sky. He managed to blast his ki outward to stop his careening ascent and shook off the blow. Blinking and mouth hung wide, Trunks watched the exchange and only recovered from his stupefied staring when Vegeta chuckled. "Well, nice to see her get roiled for a change," the mercurial fighter snickered as Trunks glared haughtily at him.

"You're letting your ego cloud your judgment yet again!" he barked at his father before blasting upwards to cut Cell off at the pass when he attempted to zipped down and fight Sofia. "Don't even think about it! There's no way I'm gonna let you get through me, and Sofia's not going to make your job easier just because you failed miserably, Cell," Trunks leveled resolutely at the glowering bioengineered Android as he huffed and glared murderously at him.

Glaring upwards, Sofia huffed before shooting a sidelong dagger of a glare at Vegeta, who was smugly glancing at her before he snorted and watched Trunks frustrate the Android. "C'mon, Vegeta! Whichever way I find Android 18, you clearly have acquiesced to my proposition, so get your brat under control—!" Cell's badgering plea was cut off when he caught sight of Eighteen hiding below out of the corner of his eye. Tensing, he focused on her exact coordinates, realizing he would need to use all his speed to try and reach her before Trunks could interfere.

Following his tense glance, Trunks caught sight of Androids 16 and 18, panicking as he realized what Cell was intending to do. "Oh no!" he gasped before turning to shout vehemently, "Cell's spotted you! HURRY UP AND GET OUT OF HERE!"

Sofia's heart clenched in her chest as she watched Cell and Trunks rush towards the Androids, knowing that things were back on track but still feeling a foreboding fear in the back of her mind. Jumping to use her super speedy flight, she made it halfway to the site they had blasted off to when Vegeta appeared in her path and forced her to come to a skidding halt.

"What are you doing?!" she huffed at him, hands curling into fists.

"Not letting you interfere, isn't it obvious?" Vegeta drawled condescendingly at her, peering across at the battle between Trunks and Cell as they tried to frustrate each other long enough to meet opposing goals. "You could've made this easier for all of us and let the ugly bastard absorb that smug Android. That's what you're here to do, isn't it? Move things along to their natural conclusion, in which I'm the victor and have proven once and for all that I'm the strongest warrior in the universe?"

Staring at him, Sofia suddenly slapped her hand on her forehead and dramatically dragged it down her face as she shook her head at him. "I know you're totally HIGH on your own Super Saiyan supply right now, but that is NOT what I'm doing here, Vegeta. You're literally dragging me into your business—!"

"Correction, Cell dragged you in the middle. I was just amenable to the suggestion," Vegeta cut in cockily, waving his finger derisively from side to side as he added, "And might I say, you interfered in my battle after I explicitly said I'd be very angry if either of you got in the way…"

Watching from the Lookout's edge, Piccolo was fumingly livid. "That egotistical son of a bitch!" he growled darkly as he clenched his fists so tightly his nails were digging into his palms.

"What's going on?! I can sense Trunks and Cell fighting, but is Vegeta powering up to fight against one of the other Androids?" Tien asked the furious warrior.

"No…he's challenging Sofia!"

"WHAT?!" Bulma and Tien balked, completely confused.

As Krillin reached the gorge he'd sensed Trunks and Cell heading towards, he found himself ducking for cover as Trunks blasted the semi-perfect monster into the opposing hillside, sending debris everywhere.

"Krillin! Do you have the remote?!" Trunks shouted down at the former monk, who was quaking in his boots at being in ground zero of the fighting just as Cell blasted free and flew at Trunks. "Go! Stop Androids 16 and 18 while I hold him off!"

"Oh jeez! You mean they're not here?!" Krillin stammered as he darted about and caught sight of Sixteen hobbling to protectively carry Eighteen away from the fight as he dragged her in tow and ran at full speed through the narrow gorge. "Dammit, I gotta catch up!"

While Krillin ran to cut them off at the pass, remote control still gripped tightly in his right hand, Sofia was staring Vegeta down. She knew it was absolutely insane to even spar with the legendary Saiyan, let alone meet him in an earnest fight. "Seriously…you're going to give me a beating for putting Cell in a world of hurt after his douchie comment?! C'mon, man!" she huffed at the Saiyan, who just grunted. "This is complete bullshi—!"

"Nah-ah-ah! I don't want to hear your trucker mouth spew excuses for getting in my way, stealth. You want to get past me? You're gonna have to pay a toll," Vegeta groused in smug tone as his aura crackled and radiated around him.

Instead of sweating at the prospect, Sofia's mocking expression melted into an iron countenance as the irises of her eyes began to glow dangerously garnet at him. "If you think I'm afraid of fighting you, then I'm going to disappoint you. Truth is, I'd love the opportunity of being worthy of going toe-to-toe with you—hell, I'd fucking take a beating and wear it as a badge of honor! But right now, right here?" Sofia's aura began to pulsate around her, scintillatingly rabid and furious as she added in a hiss, "I'm not here to take any beatings, not even from the PRINCE of _all_ Saiyans!"

Sofia took a deep breath and honed all her energy using her top-secret technique of total concentration breathing. In a split second, she was speeding past Vegeta with such agility and grace that even in his current power level, he barely registered her movement as she rushed past him before she phased out of sight, but not before a psionic energy sphere formed around him to incase the overconfident Saiyan inside. "What the—?!" he spun in the air and tried to rush at the energy, only to be repelled and zapped by it. "STEAAAAAAALTH!" Vegeta bellowed as he battered his fists against the energy and found his attempts not only being repelled and causing the sphere to zap him with every strike, but it was contracting to become a smaller and smaller circumference with each blow.

Boiling over with rage, Vegeta let his energy spill over into his audaciously beaming aura as he began to let his ki blast against the energy until the pulsating expanded the sphere like a thin energy membrane.

As Sofia rushed to the ground, she could sense Vegeta was about to bust out of her energy sphere in any moment, so she desperately tried to reach the current battle site. Turning the corner, she came face to face with the raucous fighting between Cell and Trunks. The latter had managed to keep the other at bay with his more superior strength, so she breathed a momentary sigh of relief until she suddenly sensed Krillin behind her. Whirling around, she saw that Androids 16 and 18 where backed up against a cliff wall with no way out, while Krillin was struggling against his heart and mind about deactivating Eighteen. Hands shakily pointing the remote at her, Krillin was gritting his jaw and agonizing over the decision. When Sofia's shout made him pause: "Follow your heart!"

As if the petition made nothing but sense, Krillin let the remote drop from his shaking grip, and swiftly smashed it underfoot. Eighteen was shocked, stunned as she breathed, "Why did you do that…?"

"I-I-I just couldn't do that to you!" Krillin stammered, before shaking his head and continuing firmly, "Look there's no time to explain! You two have to get out of here quick!"

Sofia ran over towards them to help as well when the ground below her suddenly exploded and she was sent flying. Everyone collided with the ground and were hit by falling rubble as the dust cleared to reveal an irate Vegeta hovering over them. Sofia crawled to her feet before gritting her teeth and catching Vegeta's irate glare. "Uh-oh…" she heard herself chortle before another shuttering blast from Trunks and Cell's fight lurched the ground below all their feet.

"I am sick and tired of waiting!" Vegeta shouted haughtily before barking, "I am going to decimate you all if you don't hurry up and absorb this goddamned Android, Cell!"

Grunting in impatience, Cell flew up towards the sky away from Trunks, trying to lure him away. Hopping to her feet, Sofia realized things were completely off track now, so she tried to rush back to where Krillin and the others were when Vegeta appeared in her path again and punched her swiftly in her gut. Knocking the wind completely out of her, Sofia gasped and crumbled to her knees as her throat went dry and her senses shook from the blow.

"What the hell are you DOING, Vegeta?! Stop this craziness already!" Krillin shouted in stunned desperation at the overpowered Saiyan as he turned his livid turquoise stare at him, causing the former monk to flinch in his spot. "S-Seriously just let them go before Cell comes back—!"

While the friendly fire occurred below, Cell had lured Trunks up to the atmosphere and had spun around to shock and awe him with a precise application of the Solar Flare technique, causing the blinding rays of light to wash over the entire sight and stunning everyone in its radius with blindness.

"Gaah! Noooo, damn you," Trunks shouted as he shielded his eyes and blindly spun around to sense Cell rush back down to the island, honing in on the Androids, who were huddled cautiously together while Krillin stood guard in front of them. Sofia and Vegeta were just off to the side battling the effects of the blinding rays as well, with Sofia crouched on her hands and knees while Vegeta stood looming over her, trying to shake his vision back into focus.

Chuckling deviously, Cell blasted Krillin away to crash to the ground, causing Sixteen to rush him and blindly smash punches into Cell's face, with zero effect before he pummeled him into the ground. Yelling and powering up, Eighteen blindly flew at him, throwing a flurry of punch and kick combos at him that he effortlessly dodged before he blasted her to smash back-first into the opposing canyon wall.

Managing to recover long enough to stand, Sofia swayed as her vision cleared and saw Cell loping towards Eighteen. Just as she was about to run over, Vegeta tripped her before spin-kicking her into the opposing cliff wall adjacent to where Krillin was struggling to recover. Shouting in pain, she clenched her teeth as she felt herself spin around and dig her long black nails into the dirt before she concentrated all her pain into sheer rage, eyes radiating with a crimson glow completely as she disarmed Vegeta momentarily by charging at him and spearing him like a powerful linebacker into and through the rock wall of the canyon with such force she created a cavern.

Krillin gaped at the sight while Sixteen marveled at the feat as Eighteen began to shoot defensive blasts to attempt to repel Cell away from her. Each blast was having less and less effect, letting the gloating semi-perfect being stalk closer and closer to her, until he was able to flick his tail's stinger forward and contract it to attempt to swallow her whole. Before he could do so, Trunks appeared in the knick of time and kicked Cell across his cheek with enough force to fling him brusquely away from Eighteen. Stunned, she stared up at the chiseled lavender-haired fighter before she rushed over to Sixteen and tried to help him stand.

"No! Leave me and save yourself," the taller Android beseeched, pushing her away until Krillin appeared next to him and tried to help hoist him up as well.

"C'mon! We ALL need to get out of here," Krillin shouted as Trunks repelled Cell, thrashing him with his flurry of powerhouse punches and kicks.

"GET OFF OF ME!"

Everyone froze as Vegeta rushed out of the cavern, trying to shake Sofia off of his frame as she clung to his back, pinning his arms upwards in a full nelson hold while her long legs were wrapped around his waist. She was gritting her teeth, trying to avoid his golden spikes of hair poking her in the face as she hung on for dear life while he continued to try and shake wildly in an attempt to pry her off his back.

Sweatdropping at the display, Cell was momentarily distracted long enough to not see Trunks aim a powerful energy blast directly at him. Slamming into him and propelling him to smash through rock as he blasted backwards across the island, Cell shouted as he was spun in the energy current to hit every boulder and bluff like he was the bottom of a rock being skipped across a water surface until he was bashed into the ocean by the force of the energy's dense rippling.

"STOP BEING AN ASSHOLE, VEGETA!" Sofia shouted as she hung on to him and felt the strain in her muscles from pinning his struggling, brawny limbs in the hold for so long.

"GET OFF MY BACK BEFORE I BLAST YOU INTO DUST!" Vegeta bellowed as he powered up more before suddenly getting punched across the face by Trunks.

Sending him tumbling across the ground, Sofia was flung off of him by the momentum while Vegeta continued to roll until he crashed into the canyon wall, sending shudders across the ground.

Recovering instantly, he was on his feet, baring his teeth in a dangerous growl before rushing towards Sofia when Trunks side stepped between them and held his hand palm-face out at his father. "I won't let you do this! Cell has to be stopped, and if you're going to let your ego and pride run roughshod on us—!"

"Boy, we know you don't have the GUTS to stand up to me, so get out of my way, or suffer the consequences!" Vegeta growled mockingly at Trunks as his golden aura continued to radiate and pulsate from his frame. "Step aside now!"

"NO." Trunks growled right back and proceeded to charge up another powerful sphere of energy that quickly overwhelmed Vegeta before it collided against him and drove him violently to blast through the sky before slamming into the ocean, miles away.

Stunned, Sofia panted and stared up at Trunks as he glowed golden and powerful before her. Turning to stare down at her with his turquoise eyes, his expression was almost a mirror image of his father's when he was furiously focused on a goal.

"Holy shit…that was intense!" Krillin chortled anxiously as he tried to help Sixteen stand.

Sofia climbed shakily to her feet, and caught Trunk's arm as he leaned close to stop her from stumbling forward. "Are you ok?" he husked tensely at her, brows still furrowed in anger and expression chiseled in concentration.

"Yeah," she mused; staring off in the direction Trunks blasted Vegeta into, she whistled and chirped, "You know how badass that just was, right? Cuz after riding your dad like an insanely powered up bronco thinking he was totally going to kill me, you just sent him into a much-needed time out!"

Modestly tensing, Trunks mused, "Uh, he might kill you for just repeating that, you know, hahah."

Krillin snickered. "Yeah, and I'm not liking the implications of Vegeta coming OUT of that time out, so can we get these guys out of here before—?"

The ground below them suddenly burst open and threw everyone about just as Cell emerged from below the surface he'd burrowed through, having been cloaking his ki signature in order to ambush them in this opportune moment. Before anyone could react, his stinger expanded and snapped over Eighteen, contracting around her, sucking her powerfully up into his tail as she yelled and flailed to escape. Gasping, Sofia watched in horror as the blonde Android was swiftly absorbed before Cell's body began to glow and pulse with a protective metamorphosis sphere as his transformation initiated. Krillin shouted, trying to rush forward against the undulating energy currents that kept them all barely able to keep themselves rooted in place. Trunks attempted to fly into the fray of the transformation tornado; getting blow back, he was repelled by Cell's new energy aura and came to a skidding halt next to Sofia.

"No—I can't believe I let my guard down!" he shouted angrily as he watched on.

Having landed in the ocean waters miles away, Vegeta was glaring up at the sky as he let the fact Trunks stood up to him sink in when he sensed Cell's power level skyrocketing. Wiping at his face with the back of his gloved hand, he stared at the blood his own son had made him bleed, and somehow felt a burning sense of pride. Sneering, he scowled instead and blasted out of the water to return to the island and resume the battle with the now perfect version of the foe he'd spent a year training to demolish.

On the Lookout, Tien and Piccolo froze as Cell's transformation shook the floating tower. They were sensing the mammoth amount of energy while Bulma stammered about, floored by the uncertainty of the battle happening below.

"That arrogant bastard…if Cell doesn't kill him, I will!" Piccolo fumed, cape fluttering behind him as he flexed his tense muscles and tightened his fists.

"Can someone explain what the hell is going on down there?!" Bulma shouted impatiently while Trunks became fussy in her arms.

"Cell's power is massive now…he must've absorbed Android 18 and reached his perfect form," Tien tensely retorted, sweating as he continued to sense the monstrous transformation.

"WHAT?! But did Krillin not get a chance to use the remote control I made?!" Bulma inquired while Trunks protested fussily in her arms.

"No. He had a split second to use it, but backed out and crushed the remote instead," Piccolo groused, sending Bulma into befuddled hysterics at having her hard work discarded for no reason by her longtime friend. "It doesn't matter now. Cell's become perfect, and there's nothing we can do but hope either Vegeta and Trunks stop screwing around and work together, or…" he trailed off, too angry at himself for not being strong enough to go into the battle himself, especially with Sofia being stuck in the thick of it.

'Do not lose hope, Piccolo!' Kami petitioned.

'I'm beyond any hope now, except in hoping beyond rationale that Sofia can make it out of this…'

* * *

The pulsating aftershocks of Cell's transformation began to die down as the atmosphere calmed, leaving only his newly streamlined body and overwhelming power level to hammer across their psyches as he hopped nimbly and assessed his new body. Unlike his last two forms, this perfect form was shorter, but by no means less towering in both scale and agility. Beginning to shadow box to test his new speed and power, he ignored their gaping stares as he grunted and let himself acclimate to his new body.

Staring over at the others, Sofia saw the myriad of emotions play across their expressions, but couldn't help empathize the most with Krillin, who looked devastated at having lost Eighteen. The former monk's eyes were welling with unshed tears as he glared furiously at Cell and blasted off towards him to retaliate with a desperate and angry offense.

Trunks shouted for him to stop, but it was futile, so he watched on as nothing Krillin did even fazed Cell, not even his patented Destructo Disk before Cell smugly glanced at the fighter before moving with such quick precision towards him and striking him with such force that Krillin was flung to the side and stunned into paralysis from the blow.

"Krillin!" Trunks shouted and rushed to the fighter's side, feeding him one of the two Senzu Beans Goku had given him.

Glancing proudly over at Android 16, Cell drawled in his new, smooth haughtier tone, "What're you glaring at? He should be honored to be the first to be struck by me, now that I've achieved perfection."

Sixteen scowled, and while Sofia expected him to stand his ground, she was shocked to see him attempt to advance towards Cell. The sudden move and resolute look on his usually stoic features riled her enough to propel her across to him and stop his advance. Grabbing his arm, she stopped him as she hissed, "What're you doing?"

"Do not interfere, Sofia," the hulking Android groused at her, staring at her furiously with his uninjured eye as he declared, "I could not protect Seventeen or Eighteen, but I won't fail in stopping Cell now before he can destroy millions of innocents."

Eyes widening at that, she knew exactly what he was meaning to do, and was floored. This was something that could not happen, and she knew if she didn't interfere in his intended self-destructive actions, it would completely alter the sequence of events beyond anything she could help salvage.

"You cannot self-detonate and take him with you," she whispered ferociously at him, standing between him and Cell as she added reluctantly, "You are not meant to do that yet."

Staring at her, Sixteen hesitated, knowing she was serious, and the connotations of her statement gave him pause.

"What're you two whispering over there?" Cell mused sardonically. "Care to share with the class?" he derisively chuckled as he continued to flex his muscles, bending his forearm and testing his reflexes further.

From his kneeled position next to a recovering Krillin, Trunks gritted his teeth as he glared over at Cell's gloating and boisterous demeanor. He could sense his father quickly returning to the battle site, but feared he wouldn't have enough time to take on the perfect monster himself before Vegeta jumped back into the fray.

Sofia sensed Vegeta coming too, but was worried that something else out of the sequence would occur, so she mused to Sixteen loud enough for Cell to hear, "You're right, Sixteen. Cell is far too powerful now. We have no choice but to not interfere with him until Vegeta gets back to resume their battle."

Turning sidelong to glance at the Android, she trained her expression into a serene stare as she calmly loped away from Sixteen, keeping her crimson gaze fixed on Cell's new magenta stare.

"What?! Is she for real?" Krillin stammered, now recovered and balking as Sofia waltzed away.

"…she's buying us time," Trunks whispered, reading her demeanor and guessing that something was amiss, and rather than challenge Cell now, she was hoping to cajole and appease his ego into waiting for Vegeta to arrive.

"Ok, but then what're you doing just standing here?! I might not be able to compete with you Saiyans when it comes to fighting, but I can still sense power levels…and there's no way Vegeta will be enough to stop that guy now! You're hiding something, and my guess is that Vegeta's too self-absorbed to have picked up on it, but I sensed it immediately: you've surpassed him! You're stronger than Vegeta now, so instead of waiting for him to get back here only to get himself killed, it's time you take over this battle and put a stop to Cell once and for all," Krillin huffed worriedly. Trunks was taken aback by that, and didn't know what to respond. Realizing the lavender-haired fighter must have been struggling with the reality of the situation, Krillin caustically added, "Look, when Cell hit me, I could sense his _true_ power, simmering just under the surface. It's like there's no end to it…it's the most insane thing I've ever felt."

"Is that all?" Cell shot over at Sofia glibly as she continued to walk back towards the outer circumference of the crater his transformation had blasted into the ground, flexing his fingers as he mused, "You were so verbose before, with your crude and ludicrous comments, but now you're too demure to say anything?"

Sofia smiled at that, a brilliant smile that took him aback. "Are you sure I haven't grown on yah after all, Celly-welly?"

Scoffing before laughing boisterously at that, Cell caressed the line of his now chiseled jaw with a pointed black nail as he pondered such a ridiculous prospect. "I don't think I was able to appreciate your outlandish sense of humor before, but in this new, perfect form – with a whole new perspective, I get it now," he shrugged as he outstretched his arms casually and smirked at her.

Raising her brow coolly at that, she catalogued the reaction for later use. Mercifully, Vegeta had finally arrived and was hovering overhead in his radiating, scintillating aura and clearly vexed, until he locked eyes on the newly perfected Cell just below. Descending swiftly, he landed just paces away from the Android and mockingly gave him a once over.

"Well, patiently waiting for me, are you?" the mercurial fighter drawled, assessing the creature with a calculating stare. "I must say, this new form leaves me underwhelmed."

"Hah, then care to see what I can do? I'd like to get warmed up, if you'll oblige me," Cell mused confidently, earning a scowl from Vegeta.

Taking the banter with them as they both ascended to fight on a less-bombed out section of terrain, Cell and Vegeta flew off to do battle, leaving the others to take a breather.

Rushing over to her, Trunks and Krillin were clearly filled with questions, so Sofia held her hands up and firmly remarked, "All I'm gonna say is that stuff is back on track right now. Nothing more!"

Sweating nervously at that, Krillin attempted, "But tell me I'm right in thinking Trunks has the power we need to actually stand up to Cell—!"

"Augh! Krillin, don't make me repeat myself," she snapped, eyes glowing red with anger as she huffed and stalked away from them to go back to where Android 16 was standing. The hulking cybernetic fighter was busy scanning Cell and Vegeta's power levels to assess which had the advantage. Nervously scratching his baldhead at that, Krillin sighed dramatically in frustration while Trunks watched Sofia walk away, his heart skipping a beat for some odd reason yet again.

"You divulged pertinent information to me to upset my impulsive plan of detonating my bomb to take Cell down, but won't confirm your comrade's queries. Why is that?" Sixteen inquired, eye flashing with calculations as his CPU measured the data for analysis.

"Because you cannot die today, Sixteen," Sofia firmly shot back at him. "Whether Trunks is strong enough to beat Cell more than Vegeta isn't important. He'll fight him soon enough and find out. You, however, were not meant to engage Cell in any other capacity, not while injured!"

Stoically, he turned to stare at her with his one good eye. "By saying I cannot die today, the suggestion is I will die at some other point, correct?"

Frowning, Sofia grunted noncommittally and instead answered, "We're all gonna die sometime…"

Absorbing the answer, Sixteen hummed and went back to watching Cell and Vegeta fight in the distance, where they were blasting and smashing through parts of the island. "I detect that Vegeta still has the advantage, but he is not as focused as he was previously. Cell could still pose a challenge for him."

From the Lookout, Tien and Piccolo sensed the battle pick up. While the triclops believed Vegeta was holding his own, the super Namekian scoffed, "Not for long. Vegeta's attacks are wild and unfocused. He's realizing that Cell's new power is equal to, if not greater than his own. His frustration is starting to get the best of him."

Standing next to Android 16, Sofia's sharp gaze focused on Vegeta and Cell's movements while she retorted to Sixteen's assessment, "Famous last words. Things are not what they appear."

When Vegeta was frustrated by Cell's cunning and speed, left in the literal haze of dust to stare about in search for the Android only to see him smugly smirking at him from the terrain below, the redheaded towering fighter mused, "My initial assessment of Cell's perfect form may have been premature. He's growing stronger by the minute. At this rate, his power will soon eclipse Vegeta's."

As if on cue, the fighters had returned to the grounds right across from them as Vegeta's offense had propelled Cell to counter seamlessly and rush across the terrain until he was cockily smirking at the exasperated mercurial Saiyan. When Cell taunted Vegeta about having just been warming up before using his super speed to appear just behind the Saiyan prince, Sofia watched as Vegeta swore "Damn YOU!" and kicked him full force in the neck, with no effect.

Stunned, Trunks and Krillin watched as Vegeta's blow didn't even faze Cell, who smirked at the shocked Saiyan as he balked at him, completely unnerved.

"Cell did not make the slightest effort to deflect his attack. He just absorbed it, suffering no damage. The breadth of their power has grown too far for Vegeta to overcome…" Sixteen mused stoically while Sofia stood next to him and looked on.

Tensely, she watched as Cell chuckled at Vegeta's expense, "Aww, what's wrong? What happened to all of that bravado?"

"Tch! I-I put _everything_ I had into that attack—!" Vegeta hissed in shock, overwhelmed. "You should be dead!"

"Are you finally beginning to understand, Vegeta? The power of perfection," Cell mused arrogantly before kicking the mercurial fighter with the force of a battering ram, driving him backwards through cliffs and bluffs before Vegeta dropped to the ocean water just past the rocky shore of the island.

Wincing, despite herself, Sofia knew Vegeta's next move would be the Final Flash, an attack with a destructive force capable of blowing up the planet. Sixteen felt compelled to attempt a surprise attack on Cell, even though Sofia had basically told him he would not stand a chance against the other Android, so when he found himself sneaking up behind the perfected being, he wasn't surprised when Sofia grabbed the arm he'd been stretching in planned attack.

"You're one step from the scrapheap as it is, Sixteen. Suffice to say, you should fallback. After all, you were powerless against me in my previous form, so there's no hope for you now," Cell snickered over his shoulder at the other Android. Feeling foolish, Sixteen let Sofia pull him along. "Is there a reason you're working on keeping this hunk of bolts operational?"

Tensing, Sofia stared back at Cell, who was looking ahead and watching Vegeta splash to the surface and claw himself from the water laboriously onto the shore. When she didn't answer, the smug bioengineered being glanced at her over his shoulder.

Trunks and Krillin anxiously watched from across the way, not knowing what to do. The former monk was badgering the lavender-haired fighter to ignore his father's pride and step in already, while Trunks felt desperately stuck between his desire to defeat Cell and his respect for his father. Watching Cell mockingly leer at Sofia now made his blood boil.

While Cell and Sofia stared each other down, Vegeta took the opportunity to levitate to the air and begin powering up the devastating energy needed for the charged ki flow that would feed his Final Flash. Energy bolting outwards in golden rays around him as he outstretched his brawny arms to either side, Vegeta began to glow and pulsate with the enormous effort, roaring through the power up as clouds began to form overhead and the ground shook in anticipation for the crackling, fierce attack he was struggling to build and hone.

Turning his attention back on Vegeta, Sofia used the moment to skip her and Sixteen with a speed burst across the field and out of the line of fire. Reaching the side of the crater Trunks and Krillin were on, she let Sixteen rest against a nearby boulder before turning to watch Vegeta bellow and burst at the seems with his power.

"W-what's he planning on doing?!" Krillin stuttered nervously as Trunks gaped at his father's monstrous power as he struggled to cup his hands directly in front of him, concentrating the blistering energy beam at the center as it flared and vibrated like molten fire in between his palms. The ground lurched and began to buckle all around them, the ocean peeled back like the beginnings of a tsunami and the atmosphere vibrated turbulently under the weight of Vegeta's charging attack.

Cell arrogantly stood in his spot and watched on, gloating smirk on his lips and quirking his now chiseled features.

"It's way too much power!" Trunks shouted as he braced himself, while Sofia rushed forward to stand between he and Krillin.

"At this rate and with that trajectory, Vegeta's liable to blow up the entire damn planet!" Krillin yelled over the turbulence around them.

"CELL! You've mocked me for the last time," Vegeta bellowed. "If you TRULY believe your power is far superior to mine, put it to the test—if you have the GUTS—and prove you're perfect enough to withstand this!"

"He's daring Cell to not dodge the attack?! But at that angle—!" Trunks shouted, "FATHER! Don't fire at the surface or you'll destroy us all!"

"Get to cover!" Krillin yelled as he dove out of the way while Sixteen braced himself.

Sofia barely felt Trunks grab her arm and haul her backwards as she stared at the scene, completely enthralled. "Get down!" the fighter shouted as he shielded her from the violent detonation of the ground ahead of them.

"FINAL FLAAAAASH!"

"D-damn, noooo!" Cell shouted as the devastating wave of energy careened at him full force before slamming into him and grazing the earth, skipping to blaze across the atmosphere, up through the stratosphere and into space, where it traveled light years away. Once the quaking and dust began to settle, Sofia dropped her protective psionic sphere around them. Levitating above the splintered island's ground, Trunks, Krillin, Sixteen and she marveled at the destructive force the Final Flash left in its wake.

"Holy hell, that was too close!" Krillin stammered in relief, sweating as he spotted a winded Vegeta.

Glancing at Trunks, Sofia mused, "Sixteen and I are heading down—"

"Wait! Look," Krillin shouted as Cell's stressed silhouetted appeared in the haze below across from Vegeta. When the dust finally cleared, it revealed Cell had taken considerable damage to his entire right side. From his flank to his right shoulder, the pulsing wound was proof of Vegeta's insane energy attack, and gave the others hope that Cell was far too damaged to continue the battle.

Sofia knew better, however, and watched as Vegeta cackled at Cell's expense while the Android feigned horror at his injury. What she didn't expect was Cell to glance purposely up at her and smirk.

"No—seriously. You truly are a fool! Did you forget I share Piccolo's cells, aka have his power of regeneration? Looks like Sofia didn't," Cell charmed suddenly, dousing Vegeta's bravado and laughter as he regenerated his arm and side without effort. Stretching and rotating his new arm, he mused, "Now then, I think I've humored you long enough, Saiyan."

The others watched on in horror as Vegeta literally threw everything he had left at Cell, throwing a flurry of energy blasts in hopes of slowing the monster down. It was a futile act, one Vegeta was not prepared to face as Cell bashed him in the face with an uppercut that sent him flying up into the sky before he phased in his path of ascent and slammed his knee brutally into his lower spine, ripping a pained shout from the fighter before driving him viciously down to the blown out terrain below. Crashing face first into the ground, Vegeta lost consciousness and powered down to his normal state.

Cell glanced upwards at them, smiling pointedly at her as he chuckled arrogantly at Vegeta's expense.

"Like I said…Sixteen and I are going back down. We won't get in your way," she mused icily, shooting Trunks a measured glance before descending, with Android 16 in tow.

Trunks was livid, feeling torn apart at the sight of his father lying unconscious at Cell's feet after the monster loped over and outstretched his palm, pointing it down on Vegeta as he mockingly declared, "How sad. All tuckered out when we'd just gotten started. Well then…goodnight, sweet prince."

"Oh jeez! He's knocked out cold. Now's the time to go, Trunks! Get down there and take care of this monster while we still have a chance," Krillin beseeched of the younger fighter and was floored as he watched Trunks already pulsating with rage and power; his body was flexing and throbbing with the Super Saiyan energy he was brimming to the surface from deep within. The amount of energy was so concentrated and scalding, Krillin felt a sense of trepidation at watching the man's transformation further spike out his hair free of his hair tie and lighting static crackle around his aura. When Trunks blindly glanced over at him, he shuddered, until his gaze cleared and his turquoise eyes came back into focus. "Whoa, that's some serious energy, man!"

"Krillin, take this Senzu Bean and get my father out of here. Take him to Master Roshi's, if you can, so he can heal up. I'll handle things here," the pumped up Super Saiyan instructed, tossing the magical bean over to him.

"B-but, shouldn't you hold onto it, just in case?" Krillin asked, still taken aback by his transformation.

"Don't worry, I won't need it. Cell can't hurt me," Trunks ordered firmly before he descended to land several yards across from Cell, who'd ceased his intended attack on his unconscious father to watch his transformation.

From where they were standing, Sofia and Android 16 watched Trunks approach Cell and order him to step away from Vegeta.

"Incredible…has he been concealing this power the whole time?" Sixteen was stunned as he leant against the boulder Sofia had helped him hobble towards.

"Yes. It's a funny thing, power levels. Dr. Gero didn't understand the concept of being able to conceal one's ki signature, so he did not calculate to include that in your algorithms. Everyone here can conceal their energy," Sofia mused as she watched Cell smirk condescendingly at Trunks once they were standing mere feet across from each other.

Cell glanced sidelong at her again, stirring her to tense and feel unnerved. _Why's he keep ogling me like that?!_

Trunks noticed the Android's stare and grunted in anger before throwing the first kick, which Cell easily dodged before countering with his own kick, which Trunks blocked. Then, in the blink of an eye, there were gone, fighting so quickly that they could only catch flashes of them in battle overhead and sense the turbulence of the dueling energies collide across the terrain. Feeling uneasy, Sofia ran across the haggard site towards Vegeta. Skidding to a halt, she kneeled down and turned him over, checking his vitals and lifting him up, carefully.

"Krillin!" she shouted upwards, stirring the stupefied fighter to descend and rush to her side. "Listen, Trunks can't fight all out while worrying about Vegeta, so you gotta take him and get out of here," she explained, helping hoist the knocked out fighter up and against Krillin to be propped over his shoulder.

"Ugh, you're right! I was so distracted," Krillin admonished himself before blinking up at her. "But wait, you're going to stay? You should come to—!"

"I have to stay here and make sure stuff stays on track, sequence wise. Go now, while you still can!" she gave him a stern look, earning a nervous nod from the shorter fighter before he carefully took to the air and headed northwest with the unconscious Saiyan prince.

Cell and Trunks suddenly appeared just across from her, fighting in a flurry before they winked out of sight and part of the island shuddered under their turbulent battle. Turning, she watched tensely as Trunks seemed to be letting Cell have the upper hand. Confused, she rushed across the terrain back where Sixteen was, wanting to make sure she protected him from harm. When Trunks was kicked down to skid across the ground directly ahead of her, Sofia stopped and hesitated, staring about to see where Cell would appear. Instead, she noticed Trunks turn and glance sharply at her, as if to communicate 'get out of here too!' with the intensity of his turquoise eyes.

"So nice of you to get unneeded distractions off of the field for him."

Whirling around, she found Cell towering over her, as if he'd been there the whole time. Flinching, she stared wide-eyed up at him, expecting him to blast her on the spot. Instead, he smirked, and then leaned forward into her personal space to husk deviously, "Why so tense? Is it overwhelming to bask in my perfection?"

When her brows furrowed in confusion, Sofia took a step backwards and eyed him more keenly. "Nah, I'm just wondering why you're leering at me on and off," she answered genuinely, an eyebrow raised suspiciously at him as she added, "But I appreciate you dropping all the weird non-consensual innuendos."

Laughing at that, Cell unnerved her more by placing his large, powerful hand on her shoulder, almost amiably, as he drawled, "Ah, hold that thought. Let me finish up with Trunks here."

In an instant, he was gone and across the field as he kicked Trunks back across the island, propelling him into a rock formation before the fighter rolled to a stop and spun around to hold his ground as Cell loped over to him.

"What're you stalling for still, hmm?" he musingly remarked at Trunks. "Vegeta is no longer your concern, so why are you holding back now?"

Staring across the field at Sofia, Trunks snapped, "Why do you care?"

"I just want you to fight without any further distractions! After all, I don't have any interest in continuing to warm up. I want to test my limits," Cell spoke confidently, smooth baritone gloating as he added, "I want to see what _you_ can do."

"Huh, be careful what you wish for, Cell!" Trunks snarled, beginning to charge up further to go beyond his current level, and reveal his true power.

The shore they were standing near began to shake; the surf kicking up against the rocks fizzled to steam from the intensity of Trunks' power up. Cell just smugly watched him begin to charge up with enough power that the atmosphere crackled and lightning bolts materialized in the turbulence of energy. From where she stood, Sofia marveled at the sight, seeing and feeling the true power Trunks honed from within and feeling taken aback that someone could radiate such energy.

"Sofia!" she turned and saw Sixteen waving at her to get out of there. Rushing to speed across to him, she ducked behind the boulder he was taking shelter at as he assessed the impending battle ahead. "You should leave this place," he remarked as she braced herself against the turbulent shaking of the island.

"What?! You understand what I've been doing, right? I can't just leave," she shot back at the usually stoic fighter before her attention was steered back towards Cell and Trunks as the latter began his offense against the now perfect Android. Watching as they battled it out and seemed to be matching each energy blast, kick, counter and melee, Sofia was determined in her hopes that things would remain on track.

"There is something wrong. I do not believe Cell is fighting using his full strength," Android 16 mused.

"He isn't, but that's normal—"

"His intentions have changed. I do not believe he will fight Trunks earnestly now," Sixteen interrupted, earning her confused attention.

Meanwhile, up on the Lookout, Piccolo had stopped using omnipresent sight due to the energy turbulence Trunks' transformation was causing in the atmosphere, overwhelming his psychic focus. He was relegated to sensing the battle now, and was alarmed by how much power Trunks was displaying. "It's unbelievable. His power has completely overshadowed Cell's…" he groused, while Tien marveled at what he was sensing.

"C'mon guys! Your play-by-play sucks when you know I don't have psychic skills like you all—explain what's happening already!" Bulma complained.

"Who else do you think we're talking about?! Trunks is surpassing Cell right now!" Piccolo barked impatiently over at her.

"Awww, you hear that?! You're the stronger Super baby Saiyan, Trunks," Bulma giggled and cooed, playfully bouncing Trunks as he merrily laughed along with her.

'If Trunks can keep this up, he can surely beat Cell!' Kami cheered, hoping the end of the villain was finally near.

'I don't know…' Nail mused, uneasy.

'What're you so gloomy about? I thought that was my job,' Piccolo snickered laconically, as he drowned out Bulma's prattling on to continue to sense the battle below.

'It is, and you're ever so good at it, Piccolo,' Nail sardonically countered before soberly continuing, 'But, I don't think Trunks can sustain this level of power without putting a considerable strain on his body. This amount of energy can amplify one's brute force, but it is at the detriment of speed and agility…'

Pausing, the other two Namekians realized he was right, and felt the cold unease filter through them too.

From across the field, Sofia stood and watched in awe as Trunks plateaued in his speed an agility, making him slow and clumsy in his counters and leaving him open to Cell's bruising blows and combos. She knew it was inevitable, but to see and feel it made her tremble. With every moment now, Trunks was losing the upper hand and found himself frustrated and desperate to hit Cell with all his might. _The battle's almost over, so as long as this plays out as it should and we take the loss to fight Cell at his games like a week from now—_

Sofia's thought was cut off by Cell clobbering Trunks with such force that he drove him violently to the ground, where he skid and struggled to get to his feet. Gasping, she hopped over the boulder and ignored Sixteen's shout as she ran across the blown out terrain to get a better view as Cell phased in to loom across from Trunks. Standing laboriously up, the bulked up fighter sneered in shock as he clenched his fists and gaped at Cell. "How is this possible?!"

"Are you seriously this dense? All you've shown me is a lot of powerful yelling, and sure, the flashy turbulence you've conducted has been entertaining, but it amounts to nothing against me," Cell condescended. "Anyone can perform a transformation like that," he paused as he did just that, powering up until his muscles bulked out similar to Trunks. "It makes for an impressive display—surely, but if an opponent has any kind of _speed_? It's worthless! Even your father figured that out, so how come you didn't?"

Gaping at the reality of his folly, Trunks fell to his knees, staring in horror at how he'd failed to miss such a crucial tactical disadvantage, he powered down to his normal state. His spiked golden hair fell back into the long lavender locks of before, his body returning to normal and his turquoise eyes glowing back to the sky blue they naturally were.

"Oh no…that's it, it's over now," Piccolo caustically declared, feeling his morale drop.

"So Trunks beat Cell already?" Bulma asked glibly.

"No. Cell beat Trunks—!" Piccolo tensely muttered, causing Bulma to incredulously stare at him.

"Dammit, he's right. I can't sense Trunks' energy anymore, but Cell's is getting stronger, even higher than before!" Tien mused, just as incredulous as Bulma.

Silently, Piccolo scowled as he honed in to use omnipresent sight to pick up what exactly was going on.

"I can't beat you…so you might as well go ahead and kill me," Trunks tersely groused, feeling overwhelmed in his defeat.

Seeming to ponder that, Cell hummed and watched Trunks scowl deeper as he dropped his guard and glared down at the ground before him while he raised his own palm outwards towards the defeated foe. "Well then. I can't express how disappointed I am in both you and Vegeta. I expected far more from a pair of Super Saiyans," Cell grumbled admonishingly. "However, I do have a question for you, but something tells me you shouldn't be the one to answer it."

Grunting at that, Trunks glared across at him, and saw the ki begin to coalesce in his palm, charging up for a blast just as someone phased in the middle and blocked his view of Cell.

"Hah, there you are. Just as I suspected," Cell drawled musingly as he gazed knowingly at Sofia while she glared him down, arms stretched to her sides in a defensive posture. "Now that I'm through with Trunks here, perhaps you can humor me, for old times sake, by playing a new round of Q&A?" the perfected Android propositioned deviously at her.

Sixteen stood rooted in his spot, fearing any intervention now could get Sofia and Trunks hurt. He had no choice but to spectate the tense scene.

Sofia dropped her arms, cautiously, and gave him an appraising stare as she tried to understand what his motives were. "Fine…but I get to ask first," she mused, standing in a less guarded pose.

Placing his hands on his hips, Cell grunted with amusement. "Sure, go right ahead."

"Sofia, you don't have to—" Trunks began to protest behind her, but Sofia turned to shoot him an ireful glare that could've put his father's sharp glance to shame.

"Be quiet! You're not part of this conversation," she harshly snapped at him before turning back to address Cell, who was chuckling glibly to himself. "Well, I'm curious about why you're not just asking Trunks directly about how and where he was able to train to get so strong in such a short time. His answer would've motivated you, moreover, to inquire if it was possible for he and the others –including Goku—to get stronger if you allowed them the time to do so," she paused as the breeze whipped around them and tussled her hair to sway around her. "Trunks would've confirmed it was possible, and that would've fueled your keen interest to test out your limits, in a once in a lifetime spectacle of your own making. But, instead, you did _not_ do any of this questioning. So…why are you so interested in diverging from what you'd intended to do?"

Tensely, Trunks listened on, not knowing what was happening but not wanting to interfere. Cell absorbed her statement, and feigned as if he was pondering the answer, humming and tapping a finger at his chin dramatically. "Oh, I guess you could say that I've been intrigued by the sense of order and _dis_ order your presence has caused me, and now that I've achieved perfection, I was interested in exploring that further. After all, if you know everything that's supposed to occur, that means your participation in these battles is monumental! Every time you've intervened in a fight was because events had pivoted drastically from their intended sequence," Cell gloatingly paused, a malicious twinkle in his eye as he watched her expression shutter in and her eyes become searing crimson orbs. "Ah, so I'm right. That means, just now, when I changed my mind and decided to blast this useless fool instead of ask him my questions, THAT wasn't supposed to happen, so you jumped in. See? This is most intriguing! And back when I was urging Vegeta to let me track down Eighteen—"

"You mean BEGGING him?" Sofia cut in, cheekily.

Shooting her a terse glance, Cell bit out, "Semantics!"

"Sure," she drawled dryly, head tilting sideways as she crossed her arms and raised her brows derisively at him.

Undeterred, he pressed on. "When he would not relent to my wisdom, and I pointed out YOU knew exactly where Eighteen was, that rattled you. I saw it then, and I see it now. I enjoy seeing it, and have been keeping an eye out for it," Cell boastfully mused, eyes narrowed cunningly as he chuckled. "Do you know what I've been hoping to see more of?"

It was now Sofia's turn to feign a pondering expression. "Oh goodness, I don't know…my winning smile?" she offered sarcastically, glaring at him impatiently.

"No," Cell retorted before turning sidelong and inspecting his long talon-like nails on his left hand. "The look of fear flash across that pretty little face of yours," he declared glibly, sliding his sharp magenta gaze over at her.

Tensing, Sofia glowered at him. "Do I look scared right now?" she shot back, defiantly letting her aura begin to seep out and envelope her frame.

"Not yet, but I'll see it soon," Cell commented casually as he shrugged before aloofly looking over to the side and raising a derisive brow ridge. "Do you think he'll be quick enough to dodge an attack?" Following his stare, Sofia realized he was talking about Android 16, who was standing across from them in the distance of the battlefield they were on. Heart leaping in her throat, she realized Cell wasn't bluffing as he chuckled and began to raise his hand out to the side, palm facing the Android across the distance, who was too damaged to withstand any attack. Sofia felt the world go in slow motion as Cell sadistically grinned at her and began to charge a molten sphere of ki in his palm just as her body propelled itself by sense memory to rush with a burst of speed across the terrain towards Sixteen. "Let's find out!" Cell shouted as he fired his blast of ki while Trunks froze in horror and watched the cruel Android force Sofia's hand.

Sixteen was frozen in his spot, knowing he no longer possessed the speed or agility required to avoid such a blast. He rescind himself to his fate until he saw Sofia rush across to place herself before him in a protective stance before charging up an aura of psionic crimson energy that morphed and molded into a protective shield wall across the radius of the intended blast and fortified it into solid ki just as she crossed her forearms and powered up to brace against the energy attack as it slammed into her shield. Skidding from the force, she dug her heels in and continued to flood her ki into the shield, desperately bearing down on her shoulders to keep her forearms steady and locked. Sixteen was blasted down to the ground by the undulating turbulence of the colliding energy against her psionic force as both warred to overwhelm the other. She hissed as her arms began to feel the blistering heat of Cell's energy, so she concentrated her breathing and with all her might, shouted her deflecting burst of ki from her psionic shield to blast Cell's energy attack apart to splinter wildly across the battered terrain.

"SOFIA! Look out!"

She barely heard Trunks' warning shout until she sensed Cell phase in closer and saw him point his hand casually at her. Realizing what he intended to do, Sofia yelled for Sixteen to run before Cell unleashed the energy attack he hadn't used before, which converted his energy into a single stream of ki that shot from his index finger like a concentrated laser beam.

The blast careened against her psionic shield and burst through it, shattering the ki wall like thick-paned glass that blasted apart, ricocheted sharply against her energy-braced forearms before drilling an intersect when she tried to deflect it, and instead caused the lethal energy ray beam to burrow through her left forearm and into her chest, just under her left collarbone, before shooting out through her shoulder blade to careen across the terrain and decimate one of the remaining cliffs on the island.

Instantly, Piccolo gripped the area just below his left collarbone and yelled as searing agony tore through him. _WHAT IS THIS?!_ He gasped, the psychic pain blowing through him as if carnally lacing into his flesh. He fell onto one knee while the phantom injury shocked his system.

"Piccolo! What's wrong?!" Tien shouted and rushed to the warrior's side as he continued to brace against the agony that was clouding his mind.

"Is he ok?! What happened?!" Bulma shouted in distress, holding Trunks in a tight grip while the tot began to cry.

"I don't know! But we can't sense Trunks and Cell's powers are off the charts now. This isn't good!" Tien tensely offered, as he tried to help Piccolo stand.

As the smoke cleared, Cell stood in his spot and waited with anticipation to see the damage his blast had done while Trunks gaped in horror at the attack, eyes wide with terror when he finally saw Sofia standing frozen and shuddering in her defensive pose. Her left arm fell limply to her side, bloodied and swaying while her body trembled in shock.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Trunks shouted, devastated by the sight. He tried to rush Cell, but the Android easily dodged his intended strike and punched the irate fighter across the face with enough force to smash him in bruising slams across the ground before he rolled to a stop and spat out blood. Gasping, Trunks crawled onto his knees and watched through his watering eyes as Cell boisterously laughed and loped across the distance towards Sofia, who was still frozen in her defensive pose and panting in agony as the wound above her left collarbone oozed dark red blood. Her head was bowed, hair strewn forward to shroud her face as her frame shuddered with every labored breath.

Sixteen dug his large hands into the ground and stared up at Sofia's frame, which cast a shadow over his prone form. "Why…" He tensely hissed, his uninjured eye scanning her vitals and registering the exit wound at her left shoulder blade as the blood dripped down before drenching the back of her purple top.

"Hah! Unbe _lie_ vable—you actually jumped in to protect that hunk of trash?! Why the hell would you do that!?" Cell dastardly inquired, laughing as he shook his head sarcastically and added, "Could he _really_ be so important as to warrant such a lethal injury?! What a joke!" Coming to stand just a few paces from her, Cell chuckled irreverently at her. "Look at you…still standing against _two_ of my attacks? What an utter waste!" Snorting dispassionately, he stopped smirking and scoffed, for some reason. "What a damn waste," he mused, the gear clenching on metal sound of his movements echoing loudly across the barren battlefield as Trunks and Sixteen buried their faces in the dirt to avoid seeing Sofia's final moments at the hands of Cell. "Oh well, it was fun while it lasted," he muttered darkly as he extended his right hand up, edge leveled to chop down and through Sofia in one fell swoop.

From the sky above the devastated island, Vegeta and Krillin arrived just in time to see Cell's arm begin to swing down on her for a fatal chop. "Ah—I can't watch!" the shorter fighter yelled and covered his eyes, while Vegeta's wide gaze stared in stunned anticipation for the horrible sight.

Cell's hand came down to slash across her injured shoulder towards her neck, but his palm was halted from even nearing her shoulder as her injured arm suddenly snapped up and blocked his forearm.

Shocked, the Android stared aghast down at his hand then at her, as her panting became deep, animalistic breathing—as if the air was hissing out of her wound. Her hand twisted to grip his large forearm, and before Cell could yank his arm away, she dug her nails into the thick, armored flesh and pinned his forearm into a painful angle, holding him firm there. Jerked off-center by the alarmingly strong grip, Cell blanched and stared wildly down at her as Sofia began to lift her bowed head upwards, her body beginning to glow with a seething, blistering garnet aura that was searing as fire but almost malevolently stoked by a deep-seeded fountain of ki that was boiling over into her system.

"… _We will devour you…feast on your energy, peel back your soul,_ " the foreboding, vicious voice said as Sofia's eyes opened to reveal a ferociously glowing gaze that was lethally fixed on Cell's shocked stare as he cringed and tried to jerk out of the death grip held on his arm. " _Your blood smells_ sweet _,_ " the voice coming from Sofia hissed ravenously, echoing as many in the pitch of one as she twisted her grip on his forearm more firmly when he recoiled with dread.

"L-let go of me! I AM CELL! I am perfection—!" the Android growled rancorously as he defiantly attempted to strike her with his other arm, only to have that one grabbed and painfully pinned, just like the other. Shuddering, he watched as she stood straighter and tossed the hair cloaking her face back to reveal her dark-rimmed almond-shaped eyes were now pulsing with a myriad of crimson, garnet and vermilion shades before glowing deep russet as steam began to come off her blistering aura.

" _In-so-lent,_ " she hissed out before her total concentration breathing honed all of the remaining energy in her body to coalesce just as she continued dangerously, " _You-need-to-get-out-of-our-_ FAAAAAAACE!"

Fangs bared as she shouted, her jaw opening wide. The ki coalesced into a scorching energy wave from her mouth that glowed a crimson-golden tone, crackling scintillatingly before blasting forth and slamming directly into Cell, who shouted against the onslaught as it blasted against his chest and propelled him with bruising force to graze across the island's rocky floor before engulfing his frame completely as it careened upward and detonated just above the end of the shoreline.

The entire island shook with the force of the detonation, ocean water raining down on everyone while Sofia's aura turned the water into steam as it pelted the fiery energy. Panting, she wavered on her feet before her aura fizzled out and crackled into dormancy just as she exhaled an exhausted breath and collapsed, falling sideways to the ground into unconsciousness.

Completely bowled over by the sight, Trunks stumbled to his feet and rushed across the field towards her, while Sixteen dragged himself up and hobbled over to check her vitals.

"Well, fuck me…" Vegeta breathed out, unsure if he was floored, impressed, or vexed by what he'd just witnessed.

"Oh god…is it over?" Krillin lamely whined; hands still clenched over his eyes.

"You moron," Vegeta huffed disparagingly at Krillin before descending down towards the island.

The shorter fighter peered out between his fingers to see that everyone was rushing to Sofia's side, and there was no sign of Cell. "Huh?! Did she take him out?! Wait for me!" he sputtered before hurriedly zipping down to join the others.

As Trunks fell to his knees next to her form, he feared the worst until Sixteen's scanning iris assessed her vitals. "She is alive, but unconscious. The energy output was too much for her system to sustain, so she collapsed under the strain. Her ability to regenerate will be stunted until her energy reserves can stabilize again," the gentle giant stoically declared, glancing up at the lavender-haired fighter.

"Dammit, I don't have any more Senzu Beans!" Trunks groused, angry at himself.

"Never mind that! We can get her some more once we get her to Master Roshi's and call your mom to bring a stash from Korin," Krillin reasoned as he crouched down to brush the hair sticking to her features away from her face.

"What in the hell happened here, boy!?" Vegeta barked at Trunks, who flinched at the tone, not having realized his father was fumingly looming over him.

"Father! Well, uh, you see—"

"You presumptuous, insignificant fools!"

Riling, everyone turned to see Cell hovering overhead, jaw clenched in seething rage as his eyes stared wildly down at them. Still steaming from Sofia's blistering attack, he descended down to glare across at them, fuming as he clenched his fists and stared them down, until his eyes caught sight of Sofia's unconscious countenance, just behind Krillin and Trunks.

"Is she dead?" Cell inquired sharply, glaring over at Sixteen for the answer.

"Negative," the Mohawk-haired Android replied, scowling at the bioengineered foe.

"We're not finished yet, Cell—!" Vegeta began to shout, when Cell huffed and rolled his eyes.

"Yes we are! I've had my fun, and while you all fell short at adequately testing my limits and giving me any real challenge, I am intrigued to see more…you two trained somewhere that allowed you the time and space to ascend to the current levels of strength you possess, correct?" Cell mused, crossing his arms haughtily as he glared from Vegeta over to Trunks.

"That's right. Sofia told you already," the lavender-haired fighter glared and sneered at the Android as he hummed at his response and pondered something.

"True. Well then. Is Goku currently training as well, or just hiding from me?" Cell inquired, intrigued again.

"He's not hiding! He's training to defeat you as we speak. And knowing him, once he's done, he'll be stronger than my father, or I, hands down. If anyone can take you down, Cell, it's him!" Trunks declared, furiously shaking his fist at him while Vegeta glowered and his expression darkened at the boastful reference about Kakarot surpassing him.

"Interesting…then let me propose a contest!" Cell proposed, smugly staring them all down as they balked at him. "Come now, fellas. I'm talking about a tournament. How about in, oh, 10 days time? Do some more training, then come face me again."

"You're joking!" Vegeta snapped, staring at the Android as if he was completely daft.

"This is just another sick game of yours!" Trunks shot back at Cell, who just ruefully shook his head with a chuckle.

Unfazed, the perfect Android hummed. "I'm not sure if you're aware, but back in this timeline, there used to be an event held every few years known as the World Martial Arts Tournament. I'm offering to recreate that, with the notable difference that it will be me versus all of you. We'll fight one-on-one, and after each time I win, the next challenger will come in, and obviously, the more challengers you bring, the better your chances of winning. Though 'better' is entirely relative, in this case, but hey—it should be entertaining. I'll let you know once I've found the location. Just keep your eye on the television," Cell drawled as he turned and loped away, before adding, "Oh, don't forget to bring along those little Senzu Beans!"

"What?!" Krillin gaped.

"No—just wait! First, explain what your real objective is at doing this!? I don't see what you hope to gain, so it must be a trick—!" Trunks began.

Cell cut in with a tisk before scoffing, "Must you always be sooo suspicious? I'm just holding the tournament to showcase the power of my perfect form. And, I also hope to draw out a challenger who can actually force me to test my limits." Turning sidelong, he added, "I have no particular objective beyond that. I'm not interested in such vulgar pursuits as world conquest. Even the purpose for which I was originally created, the defeat of Goku for Dr. Gero—at this point, just seems really trivial. You might say my only goal now is just to enjoy myself," he paused, before continuing deviously, "And of course, I enjoy nothing more than the looks of perfect terror my power inspires on people's faces!" When they all stared on in tense, impotent angst and terror, fists clenched, but knowing they were no challenge for the Android now, Cell chuckled light-heartedly as he turned away from them. "That's it! That's the look," he smugly mused. "Well then, I hope you're all up for the challenge. It's sure to be lots of fun—for me, anyway," the bioengineered foe chuckled some more, shooting one more glance in their direction, and focusing on Sofia for a split-second. His mind recalled the vicious, malevolent look she had before her blast had surprised him, and instead of feeling the umbrage he would've surely harbored before, now, he was only titillated. He wanted to see more of it. "See you at the tournament!"

With that, he blasted off into the sky, leaving the fighters exhausted, confused, seething, and nervous for what was to come.


	9. Frayed Seams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: There is a LOT of angst in this chapter. 

"Speech" 'Telepathy' _Thought_ _*Reminiscing*_

Dropping down to sit exhaustedly on the ground, Krillin was incredulously trying to absorb everything that had just occurred. Everyone else was trying to process the ramifications of Cell's proposition, while Sixteen continued to monitor Sofia's motionless form.

Suddenly irate, Trunks warred with himself, powering up to smash his fists furiously into the ground and yell in frustration.

Vegeta glared at the sight, annoyed, but understanding of the sentiment.

"There is no time for wallowing in defeat," Android 16 declared firmly, glaring at the other disillusioned fighters. "She is injured and won't be able to heal until her energy is boosted. You must take her to where she can receive medical attention."

Scowling, Vegeta scoffed and turned away, arms crossed impatiently while Krillin hopped back up and rushed to Sixteen's side. "He's right. We can't sit here and stew about that weirdo or whatever the hell fighting tournament he's concocting," the former monk frowned as he stared down at Sofia's unconscious features before glancing up at the towering, injured Android. "Help me pick her up—?" Appearing next to Krillin suddenly, Trunks kneeled down and took Sofia's motionless form gingerly into his broad, muscular arms, picking her up effortlessly and standing. Blinking up at him, Krillin stood as well and cleared his throat before suggesting, "We should take her to Master Roshi's, call Bulma, and have her meet us there with some Senzu Beans."

Nodding curtly, Trunks kept his turquoise gaze on Sofia's drawn features, feeling overwhelmed with guilt and anger. Her usually sweet sent was tainted with the metallic, coppery smell of blood. Cradling her protectively against his barrel chest, the fighter powered down, causing his golden hair to fall dormant and return to its long, lavender tendrils. Just as he was about to turn and take flight, Vegeta gruffly mused, "Don't get distracted, boy. Once she's restored, we're going BACK to the Lookout to train. If you have a problem with that, then I'll do as I've been planning and go into the chamber by myself this time. After all, one more day of training there, I'll be more than Cell's equal."

Glowering at that, Trunks groused laconically, "I intend to train by myself."

"Hmph, fine by me. Better off, anyway," Vegeta muttered, while Krillin just balked between the two.

"I will train for the tournament as well."

Turning, they all stared at Android 16, as he hobbled forward while Trunks sneered at him and barked, "You seriously think we'd trust you to fight on our side?!"

"Please, allow me to be useful. I will just need help being repaired in order to regain my fighting capabilities. If you can take me to a scientist who can help fix me—" Sixteen petitioned, but was cut off by an angry Trunks.

"No way will I allow an Android anywhere near my family!" the demi-Saiyan railed, becoming irate again.

Krillin ignored him and extended his hand to Sixteen, shocking the gentle Android. "It's ok, I'll take you along so we can see if they can help repair you," he amiably remarked. Just as Trunks recoiled at the notion, Krillin reassured, "Look, this guy's not like the Androids from your time. We can't be picky on who our allies are, and anyway…she jumped in to protect him from Cell's blast. She wouldn't have done that if he wasn't worth helping."

Rattled, Trunks stared down at Sofia again, realizing there was so much he didn't understand, but couldn't stubbornly fight against. He watched as Krillin hoisted Sixteen's arm over his shoulder in order to carry him on his back as he began to ascend to the sky against the blustery breeze that whipped along what remained of the island. Gritting his jaw, he followed suit – with Vegeta in tow, levitating up as well as Krillin led the way back to Kame House. Watching as his father and Krillin flew ahead of him, Trunks spared another tense glance down at Sofia and endeavored to be careful in his flight back to the old master's island as he continued to war with his turbulent feelings.

_I'll never let this happen again…_

* * *

'—hear us?!'

'Piccolo, are you alright?!'

'Ugh, shut up! Stop shouting. I can hear you…'

'What just happened?! It was like white noise blocked everything out and we were stuck,' Nail inquired.

'Are you in any pain?' Kami asked.

Shaking his head, Piccolo still nursed the spot below his shoulder and collarbone, feeling the slight phantom sensation of a wound there while his left arm still felt stinging pain. "Hey, you ok now, Piccolo?" Tien asked as his countenance came into focus when Piccolo's eyes narrowed in concentration. "You were out of it for a minute there."

"Yeah…I'm fine," Piccolo stood to his imposing height, glaring about as his psychic abilities felt raw and left him unable to focus his telepathic energy properly. "I don't sense anymore fighting…"

"Neither do I. It stopped right after your bout of—well whatever the case, I sense Trunks and the others' ki signatures, so it can't all be bad. I just don't have a clue what the hell happened with Cell," the triclops explained as Piccolo listened, the trademark scowl returning to his emerald features.

'I don't know what the hell happened there, but it felt so real. I don't understand—' Piccolo's mutter to the other two Namekians was cut short.

"Hey guys! I just got a call from Krillin," Bulma shouted, waving them down to rush over to her two-seater jet while she consoled Trunks as he wailed. "That Cell guy took off and Vegeta and Trunks are heading back to Master Roshi's now. He flew ahead to call me—!"

"What?! Everyone's ok then?" Tien asked, feeling a sense of hope that they had dodged a real calamity this time.

When Bulma's blue eyes shifted and her expression saddened, Tien and Piccolo exchanged a tense glance before the Capsule Corp heiress declared in a shaky tone, "No…Sofia's hurt and unconscious. They used all the Senzu Beans Goku gave them, so they couldn't heal her."

Piccolo felt like his heart had been plunged into ice, hollowing his chest before dropping, leaving him numb as Tien shouted, "Oh no! I'll go to Korin's and ask for more Senzu Beans. You go on ahead and we'll be right behind you!"

Nodding, Bulma cradled her baby and kissed the top of his head as she got into her jet and placed him in his child seat. While Tien rushed off to glide down to Korin's Tower for the needed magical aid, Piccolo stood and watched Bulma set the coordinates, close the carapace windshield and begin her ascent upwards before blasting off for direct course to Kame House.

'This isn't your fault, Piccolo—' Kami attempted.

'I don't want to hear anything from you.'

Tensely, Nail forged on firmly, 'Fine, so then stop standing here and go to her.'

* * *

… _Awaken…_

_When will we awaken…_

**_WAKE—UP—!_ **

Gasping, Sofia's eyes flew open as she sat up quickly before feeling her body recoil from the effort and causing her to wince.

"Don't move! We only gave you one Senzu." Shaking her head as she pressed her hand against her throbbing forehead, she tried to focus her wild gaze to see who was standing over her. Slowly, her vision cleared and she could make out Piccolo's drawn, severe expression first before realizing Trunks, Tien, Krillin, Bulma, Yamcha and Chi-Chi were peering down all around her prone form, eyes wide with worry before sighing in relief. "Here, take another one," Tien offered her, holding the Senzu in his palm before her after having fished it out of the drawstring sack he held.

Crimson gaze sharpening now, she sat up further and stared about. "What the hell?! How'd I get here?" she inquired, laboriously standing and wavering slightly. Piccolo caught her and allowed her to lean against his side as she got her bearings. "Where's Cell—?!"

"Hey, don't worry! He took off to do some weird setup for—" Krillin began before Trunks interjected.

"It doesn't matter! Don't worry about it right now. Just take this extra Senzu. The first healed your wounds, but you still look shaky," Trunks rasped in a tense mutter as he took the bean from Tien and offered it to her.

Looking down at the offering, she picked it up and considered it before internally measuring her ki reserves. Popping the magical aid into her mouth and chewing vigorously, she swallowed and waited for the overflow of stamina and energy to rush through her, but nothing happened.

"Do you feel better?" Bulma inquired while baby Trunks babbled his own version of his mother's comment in mimic of her.

Pushing away from Piccolo's side, she stared down at her hands, clenching and unclenching them and noticing how she was filthy and covered in drying blood. _Whoa…is that all mine?!_

'Sofia—' Piccolo prodded telepathically, stirring her to sharply flinch and shake her head at him to not continue, as if it'd zapped her slightly.

Teeth on edge, she took a sobering breath once his booming telepathic voice receded from her mind. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have wasted the Senzu," Sofia mused, her tone hollow as she glanced at them with a meek expression. "I feel out of it. I must've overloaded my body. It doesn't feel like I'm at my full strength."

"It's because you've strained your nervous system and overwhelmed your energy reserves." Startled, they all turned to glare at Android 16, who was sitting at the edge of the ramp of the larger airship Bulma had de-capsuled to ferry everyone back to Capsule Corp.

Blinking wide-eyed at him, Sofia stared for a beat, overwhelmed as a sudden flood of recall hit her from the battlefield. Rushing over to him, she knelt down and hugged the Android, leaving everyone else confused and incredulous. Even Sixteen was taken aback as he remained stiff while her arms tightened around his shoulders as she murmured in a shaky tone, "I almost didn't make it. I'm so sorry."

"So…I guess he's _not_ on our bad Android list anymore?" Yamcha mused sheepishly, while Puar, Oolong, Chiaotzu and Master Roshi all hummed in wonder at the sight. The others exchanged perplexed looks before Krillin ruefully shook his head, knowing just what kind of emotions Sofia was feeling.

"Ugh, can we scrap the sentimental drivel and get the hell out of here already?!" Vegeta scoffed in a gravelly sneer, standing at the top of the airship, staring off at the sea with his arms petulantly crossed over his broad chest.

Elbowing Trunks in the side, Krillin conspiratorially mused, "See? I told you the guy was worth helping. You gotta drop the grudges and move on, buddy."

Piccolo ignored the others while he focused his speechless and furiously worried gaze on Sofia as she pulled back and gave Sixteen a reassuring smile when he responded, "Thank you for helping us…for helping me."

"I only wish I could've done more," she huffed and stood, glancing over at the others before addressing Bulma directly. "Can we go to your place and get this guy fixed up?"

"Sure thing. C'mon everyone, let's take a break from all this doom and gloom and head out," the sea-foam haired woman cheerfully replied, earning a merry squeal from Trunks as he shook his little fists happily when she added, "We can relax and have snacks!"

* * *

Landing in the yard that was part of the sprawling compound of the Capsule Corporation, Vegeta and Trunks touched down just behind Mrs. Briefs, who'd been watering her garden. Having opted to not travel within the cramp cabin space of the airship as it brimmed with the others, father and son flew ahead, without exchanging a single glance between them. Turning to notice the first arrivals, unfazed, the cheery blonde greeted, "Oh, hey Vegeta! Long time no see, huh? Looks like you're still ever the heartbreaker," she paused after noticing Trunks, who she had not met previously. "Ooo, who's your tall and handsome friend here?"

"Uh, h-hi ma'am," Trunks bashfully greeted, meekly brushing his long strands of hair back from his face.

"Awww, such a gentleman too?" she giggled, smiling affably at him.

"The woman and the entire circus she calls friends are on their way," Vegeta muttered tersely, undeterred by the odd woman's prattling. He'd grown oddly accustomed to it, and was completely unfazed while Trunks blushed at the attention from his unknowing grandmother.

As if on cue, the airship arrived overhead and landed at Capsule Corp, just across from the courtyard they were standing in. Excited, the rambunctiously congenial hostess rolled out a warm welcome and made sure everyone was comfortable and able to unwind from the turbulent, foreboding day. While Krillin inquired about Dr. Briefs helping repair Sixteen, Sofia wandered off of the airship and away from the others, wanting to desperately be alone for a moment. Just as she turned the corner of the garden and noticed a familiar tree, she wandered over to hide, deliberately sitting under it, out of sight. Taking a cleansing breath, she exhaled it slowly as she pulled her knees up against her chest and buried her face against her folded arms. _I feel like I was in a blender and poured out into a strainer…what even happened?_

"Are you ok?"

Startling, she jerked slightly to glance at him over her shoulder. Leaning against the side of the tree, Piccolo glanced at her sidelong, expression stoic, while his onyx gaze focused intently on hers.

"I'm fine…just drained, I think," she sighed, glancing away to distractedly focus her gaze on the enormous headquarter building's shiny dome, wondering idly about why she felt so rattled.

"What happened with Cell? I couldn't see the end of the battle—"

"So you _were_ watching the whole time," she murmured, eyes faraway. He stared at her, measuring her demeanor and feeling unnerved by how detached she seemed.

'What's wrong?' he tugged at their telepathic rapport, causing her to recoil again.

"Stop!" she hissed, gripping the sides of her head before lacing her fingers tensely in her scalp as she winced at the lancing pain their rapport was suddenly causing her. "Please…I don't have the energy to piece stuff together right now…" she whispered before glancing out of the corner of her eye at him. The hint of something she hadn't expected to see flashed momentarily across his expression, and the sight of it made her frown. "Piccolo—"

"I'll leave you be," he murmured as he turned away and strode off, cape fluttering behind him as he went. She watched him leave for a beat before she pulled herself up and tried to shake off the morose mood she was in.

_Did he look…hurt?_ She frowned again, not knowing how to process that. Her mind and body felt pulled apart—disassembled and reassembled, with parts having been left floating about, still needing to be adapted back in. Clenching her fist, she tried to muster her ki to flow up through her and into her palm, but only managed a fizzled spark of ki to crackle from her hand. "Damn…" she muttered, tossing her hand and scoffing.

Deciding to muster some semblance of her typical demeanor, she put on a happy face and walked back to join the others, who were still chatting on the lawn around the corner. As she approached, Trunks watched her pensively before Yamcha, Tien and Krillin all exchanged knowing looks.

"Oh, I didn't see yah there, Sofia!" Glancing up, she watched as Mrs. Briefs rushed over to her before stopping and gasping at her tattered, bloodied appearance. "OH MY GOODNESS! Are you ok?!"

"Huh?" Sofia glanced down at herself, having momentarily forgotten about her gruesome attire. "Oh, yeah I'm fine!" she nervously smiled and scratched the back of her head, a trait she had picked up from the Son men. "I guess I look like death, huh."

"You look like shit, is more like it," Vegeta mused goadingly, earning a scoff from Bulma and Chi-Chi.

Wrinkling her nose playfully, Sofia pulled her left eyelid down at him and stuck her tongue out before jabbing impishly, "I'm only following your example, Vegeta-kins!"

Expression pinching with slight displeasure at that, Vegeta grunted before turning on his heel and stalking into the Briefs' living space of the headquarters building, shooting acerbically over his shoulder, "Kiss my ass."

Snickering, Sofia comically wiggled towards the others before posing in a cool stance after snatching Master Roshi's sunglasses off his face and dramatically sliding them on as she sung, "I think I hit a nerve~!"

Laughing at that, the others seemed relieve to see her spirits back to the usual irreverent mood she playfully displayed.

"That Vegeta—he always has a way with words, huh?" Mrs. Briefs giggled, while Master Roshi tried desperately to reach around everyone to snatch his sunglasses back from Sofia.

From the distance, Piccolo watched the friendly interactions and chatter while his mind replayed the panic and worry that had made his chest tight the entire time they'd rushed to Kame House. _*Having landed on the small island, Krillin had run down the airship Bulma had ready to go to take the others back to the Western Capital with her, explaining the cliff notes of what had happened with Cell and why'd the bastard had left them alive in defeat. As he'd started trying to explain why an injured Android 16 was sitting at the bottom of the ramp, Piccolo watched as Vegeta landed on the beach, with Trunks coming in to a careful hover overhead before slowly descending to the grassy front yard. Seeing him with a bloodied and unconscious Sofia in his arms had been enough to disarm him completely, before an overwhelming sense of rage and guilt clawed up into his chest. Shoving past Yamcha and Tien, Piccolo had taken her from Trunks' arms, uncaring about the others and tempted to kill anyone who so much said a word to him after he'd turned away and taken her to be placed down on the soft, cool grass as he demanded a Senzu Bean from Tien.*_

'Give her time, Piccolo. No matter what she knows about this world, this is the first time she's been involved in such a dangerous battle…it's a lot for someone to process,' Kami mused, gently.

'She should've never been involved in that battle to begin with!' he seethed, furiously swallowing his emotions to add in a mutter, 'I don't know what happened, but that wound…'

'It was exactly what you felt, wasn't it?' Nail inquired.

'Yes. It felt like blazing energy had torn into the top of my left pectoral, just under my collarbone—the pain was just like when Frieza shot me with his Death Beam. It doesn't make any sense!' Piccolo grunted.

'…It actually does, just a bit,' Nail attempted. 'I might be wrong, but, I think since you merged with Kami, there's been a lot of psychic turbulence between you and Sofia,' he reasoned.

'Oh my…I didn't even think of the ramifications our merger could have on you and she, but perhaps…' he paused and only continued when Piccolo grunted for him to spit it out. 'You both are twin stars. There's a connection that tethers you to each other, and over the years, it's grown strong, nurtured by your close intimacy, but our merger could've intensified that tether to a point where you're both psychically amplified.'

'And that means what?!' Piccolo tersely inquired.

'As the Guardian of Earth, I honed my psychic abilities over hundreds of years, Piccolo. Those abilities are now yours, so our merger could've amplified your rapport with Sofia to a degree that you each are psychically interlinked – able to feel each other's pain, for example,' Kami explained, adding, 'And in Sofia's weakened state, just speaking telepathically to her now could be like a booming, jarring sensation to her.'

'…Is it permanent? I don't want to hurt her—'

'No. Once she recovers it should stabilize, but being so interlinked could be a detriment—psychologically as well as physically. After all, if one of you becomes critically injured, the other will become incapacitated as well,' Kami reassured, adding, 'You will both need to work on balancing out your rapport to wane your psychic interdependencies and you will have to better control your new range of telepathic energy and focus—'

'Alright, I got it, old man…' Piccolo cut in with a surly edge to his tone.

"Hey Piccolo, you heading in too?" The Namekian warrior glanced up to notice Tien approach as he gestured over his shoulder to the rest of the crew while they began to jovially take the gathering inside.

"No, I'm going to head back to the Lookout. Wait for Goku and Gohan to exit the chamber," he stoically mused, catching a glance of Sofia as she went into the headquarters building, playfully teasing baby Trunks as she walked in and out of sight.

"Well if you don't mind company, I'd like to tag along," the triclops mused.

Piccolo knew he wasn't really the social type either, but he quirked a brow ridge at the triclops fighter and mused, "That's fine. Any particular reason why?"

"Well…to be honest, I'd rather _not_ fraternize with Vegeta, if I can avoid it. I know he's our ally at this point, but I can't really stand being around the smug bastard," Tien grumbled.

"It wasn't so long ago you felt the same way about me, I imagine," Piccolo remarked aloofly, earning a mild chuckle from the other fighter.

"Yeah, well – you're not an asshole, and you didn't kill me, so…" he shrugged.

For the first time in a while, Piccolo scoffed, amused. "I killed Goku though," he muttered in a dry tone.

All three eyes going wide, it took Tien a moment to realize while the statement was fact, he was joking. It was a rare glimpse into the Demon King's dark sense of humor, and the acerbic, wry delivery had caught him off guard. Laughing, the triclops shook his head, humorously drawling, "You got me there. But hey—you made up for it by training and saving Gohan."

Taking to the air to blast off towards the Lookout, the two former foes traded one-uppers about the 'good ol' days' of having been rivals of Goku's only to turn into his closest friends, finding the irony of it all a needed distraction to the ominous gloom of the days to come.

* * *

While Dr. Briefs tinkered in analyzing and assessing Android 16's CPU for his schematics while the gentle giant laid on a gurney, the others were gathered around the ample sitting area as they discussed what happened on the battlefield, including Cell's proposed World Martial Arts Tournament revival.

"So, isn't that tournament something you kids took part in back in the day?" Mrs. Briefs mused as she zipped around the sprawling common area of the Briefs residence, serving and refreshing drinks for everyone.

As the others confirmed to the bubbly blonde it was the same kind of event, then went into the ramifications of stepping into the ring with the perfected Android, many took up idle chatter, while Krillin glanced over at Trunks, who was pensively staring off into space. Looking over to see Vegeta too preoccupied with his own selfish thoughts to approach his son, who'd run the gamut for him all day, just to spare his overblown ego, Krillin frowned. Feeling sorry for this kid, he approached. "Ahem," when Trunks stirred from his thoughts and glance at him, the shorter fighter continued. "What's with the gloomy look? We survived an insane battle. You should be relaxing now," he quipped, leaning on the wall next to him and gesturing for him to get with it.

"Oh, it's not that. I was just thinking about before. Back at Master Roshi's. When we'd gotten there, Piccolo gave me a look, and I was wondering why…" Trunks murmured in his raspy tenor.

"Huh?" Krillin had to recall what had even happened, and remembered how the imposing warrior had stomped over and taken Sofia from the lavender-haired fighter's arms before whisking her away to get a Senzu bean. "Oh yeah! What about it?"

"He looked absolutely furious…like he'd kill someone," Trunks muttered, confused.

Pursing his lips at that, Krillin could only think of one reason why big, scary Piccolo would've looked at someone that way these days. "Well…back in the day, he was a super villain, you know, and while he's not like that anymore, he only gets cutthroat in very specific situations," the former monk reasoned, adding matter-of-factly, "And that's when his pupils are threatened or hurt!"

"Huh?" Trunks wondered, blinking wide-eyed at the shorter fighter.

"Piccolo's had a hard life. It made him tough, and steely, but at the end of the day, he's only cared about two people: Gohan and Sofia. He's trained both of them, and even sacrificed himself to save Gohan a ton of times. I think maybe seeing Sofia hurt, and knowing he wasn't there to stop it or protect her like he's done for Gohan, was a lot for him to bear, and his temper got the best of him," Krillin replied simply, adding, "Don't take it personal!"

"Huh, I guess you're right. That makes total sense," Trunks mused, smiling sheepishly at Krillin when he confidently nodded.

Eyes closed, Vegeta heard the exchange, and grunted.

* * *

Stepping out of the shower, Sofia had to manually dry her hair with the towel before wrapping it around herself as she turned to grab her discarded clothes. Holding up her long-sleeved top, she stared at the bloodied and seared section that surrounded the entrance and exit wound no bigger than a laser beam. Shuddering, she concentrated and snapped her fingers, sighing in relief when her tattered attire magically morphed into a new outfit. "Thank god…" she muttered as she dressed. Pulling on her top, she tossed her damp hair back and exited the bathroom, picking up on the chatter of the others in the main room.

Once settled in and partaking in treats and ample refreshment options, Sofia walked in just as everyone was getting filled in on the happenings during the battle with Cell, and what the Android had propositioned. The chatter quickly changed to the significance of a World Martial Arts Tournament, and how meaningful past tournaments had been amongst the ragtag group of warriors that had eventually become known around the world as the Z Fighters. Going to sit in the corner of the windowsill, Sofia watched as Master Roshi regaled everyone with his story telling about how Goku had fought Jackie Chung, then almost won the next tournament against Tien, only to face his most challenging foe yet at the following tournament.

"—the 23rd tournament was held three years later. It was one of the most brutal on record. Piccolo took the tournament by storm, under the assumed name of Ma Junior. He wiped the floor with his opponents, and even imprisoned Kami, who'd possessed another fighter to compete himself," Master Roshi remarked, sunglass lenses gleaming as he continued, "In the championship match, Goku and Piccolo battled – the fate of the world hanging in the balance. Goku managed to overwhelm Piccolo, and defeated him mightily to become the strongest man on the face of the planet! In the process, though, the ring was destroyed, so since that day, there hasn't been another World Martial Arts Tournament—" the old master paused when he realized Sofia was the only person in the room that was intently listening while Dr. Briefs was still tinkering at the computer next to Android 16, and the others had snuck off to the patio. Tilting forward in mortification, the old man sweated in consternation while Sofia sipped at her tea.

"That was awesome, Master Roshi! I wish I could've been there to see those battles up close," she chirped as she stood and loped over in the direction of the patio doors. "Maybe you can tell me how you managed to sucker the others all these years," she paused before lowering her voice to a whisper she offered solely to him, "Mister Jackie Chung."

"Ehhh?!" the old master gaped as she pushed him along.

Winking at him, she made a gesture as if to say 'you'll tell me later', and went to lean against the railing, opposite where Vegeta was lounging with one leg precariously dangling over the side while he balanced himself to lean against the façade of the building.

They were chatting about the tournament, and Chi-Chi had just assured them that there would most likely be rules that even Cell would have to follow. When Trunks made the mistake of mentioning how Goku and Gohan would give them all the advantage needed against the perfect Android, the raven-haired woman had whipped around and harangued, "NO WAY! I've accepted that Goku's going to be part of this battle, but Gohan is NOT going to fight!" Sofia snickered, leaning her elbows further on the banister of the railing as she watched her friend browbeat all of the Earth's ultimate fighters before bellowing, "He will NOT be joining up with your little gang!"

After changing the subject to less hostile topics, everyone fell into idle chatter. Sofia was pleasantly conversing with Chiaotzu about how badass Tien had been in the battle with semi-perfect Cell, allowing Trunks to glance at her from the corner of his eye. Wearing a slouchy peach sweatshirt with the Capsule Corp logo emblazoned in frosted white lettering on the front, a pair of fitted jeans with cuts torn at the knees, and light blue tennis shoes, she looked like the polar opposite of the fighter that had taken on Cell's blast, just hours before. As the sun set across from the headquarters building, the warm light shone in her dark, glossy hair as it tussled in tendrils in the breeze, with a few stray strands falling to frame her face.

His heart skipped a beat for the third time that day, and he suddenly felt flustered for some reason.

Bulma came onto the patio yawning, having managed to just put baby Trunks to bed before helping her father transfer Android 16 to their lab below. "I'm beat! And I didn't even fight anyone today," she sighed goofily, before going to lean on the railing next to Sofia as she tossed her short bobbed hair about.

"Hmph. The night's still young," Vegeta drawled aloofly, earning a pointed glance from the blue-haired genius and a wry grin from Sofia, who absolutely loved the iconic couple's interactions.

"As if, buster!" Bulma mused in a snooty huff, turning away to usher everyone inside as she declared, "All right! It's too late for anyone to go home, so you're all just spending the night. I don't want to hear any guff either!"

Snickering at that, Sofia sighed and followed everyone in, while Trunks and Vegeta stuck around on the patio, watching the last rays of dusk bleed across the horizon before the stars began to shine down on them.

They remained in silence for a long period.

"Don't tell me you're a virgin."

Flinching in mortified confusion, Trunks mechanically turned to gape comically at his father, who just stared aloofly at him. "W-w-what?!"

Rolling his eyes, Vegeta scoffed in a gravelly tone, "How can my progeny be so terrible with women…"

"W-w-w-whaaat?! What the hell are you talking about—?!" Trunks balked as errant hairs stood comically out from his long mane and his entire frame tensed in embarrassed stupor at his father's only deepening glower.

Sighing sharply as he swung himself from his lounging position to stalk across the patio, Vegeta shook his head as he muttered deprecatingly, "Yet another disappointment to contend with…oh whoopee for me…"

Blinking in stunned embarrassment, Trunks watched as Vegeta stalked into the home, realizing his father's demeanor was almost that of a disheartened peer than truly angry or annoyed, which were his main modes of expression as far as he was concerned.

Left standing on the patio alone, the flustered and disconcerted fighter asked himself, "What just happened?!"

* * *

Stretching out under the covers, she yawned into her pillow as she idly reached for the side of the bed, and found it empty. Frowning in her drowsy, still half-asleep stupor, she murmured under her breath, and when no response came, she reluctantly woke up and bleary-eyed glared at her surrounds. Realizing she was not in the cave, and she was in an actual King sized bed with the softest sheets ever, recognition began to come back to her.

She was at Capsule Corp. In a large, pristinely furnished bedroom with a balcony that just beyond its curtains, had a bustling early morning Western Capital day playing out across from the sprawling headquarters complex of the most innovative company in the world. And most importantly, she was alone in said comfortable, warm bed. Pulling herself to lean against the wall, she couldn't help feel a pang of loneliness. It was a painful, withering feeling that she'd gone so long without, so its resurgence hit her like an actual blow. Huffing, Sofia tossed the blankets away and hopped out of bed. "I'm not going to sit here and be emo!" she muttered to herself as if by decree, and set off to get herself quickly ready for the day ahead.

Soon, she was leaving her guest quarters and wandering the almost monolithic halls of the massive edifice, knowing exactly where to go after having gotten the tour from Bulma the night before. Down a couple of staircases and across the expansive foyer, past the entrance to the enormous Atrium space, she made her way down to the lab space that Bulma and Dr. Briefs used for their private tinkering. While most needed a pass card to access the level, Sofia used her telekinesis to trigger the internal manual switch behind the pass card panel to gain access to the lab space. Entering and loping down the hall, she peeked into Dr. Brief's corner of the lab and saw Sixteen letting Scratch prowl affectionately up his arm to his shoulder, where she meowed and licked his cheek.

"Awwwww!" she couldn't help melt at the sight, stirring the Android to glance at her. "How're you feeling today, Sixteen?"

Smiling at her, the usually stoic fighter mused, "Repairs will require a lot of time. Thanks again for bringing me to Dr. Briefs."

"Nah, Krillin did most of the work," she waved off his thanks and smiled at Dr. Briefs, who was marveling at yet another person who managed to earn his beloved cat's affections. "His physiology is totally different than Seventeen's, so it's liable to take some brainstorming between you and Bulma to get him back in one piece, huh," she remarked to the scientist, who stared in wonder at her.

"I literally JUST said that just a bit ago!" the man gaped, half-smoked cigarette hanging precariously from his lip. "But yes…those old schematics won't be much help in getting this fella back on his feet. That Dr. Gero really was a talent," he tsked as he turned to look over his computer's rendering of Sixteen's internal framework. "Such a pity he went off the deep end."

Sofia snorted at that and leaned slightly on the exam table Sixteen was sitting on. Scratch meowed and wandered along the contour of the Android's broad shoulders to swat at her for a pet. Picking up the small black cat and cuddling her sweetly to her cheek, she relished her sweet purrs before petting her lovingly. "Yeah, but not everything he did was bad," she replied simply, smiling as she placed Scratch back on Sixteen's shoulder.

Watching her, Android 16 was still impressed with her demeanor, which while it perplexed all of his predetermined understandings, did intrigue him into wanting to learn more about others.

"Well I'm going to make another pot of coffee. It's going to be a long one! I'll also see what that daughter of mine is up to," Dr. Brief's pleasantly mused as he exited the lab for his private break room.

Glancing over at Sixteen, Sofia watched as he let Scratch climb the top of his head so she could rub her face against his Mohawk. "This is just too freaking cute, man," she snickered, giving him a fangy grin.

"Do you retain any recollections of the moments after you were struck by Cell's attack?"

Disarmed, she froze, expression sobering as she turned to stare at him. She was perplexed when nothing sprung to her mind. "I…no, actually. I don't. All I remember was feeling the burn of that beam slice through me like I was butter. It was blinding pain—" she winced as a flash of a memory shot through her mind. Trying to focus on it, she just remembered an expression. "Wait…Cell's face. Why'd he look like that?" Wracking her brain, she sat on the edge of the exam table, next to him. Meowing, the black cat hopped down from Sixteen to climb onto her lap, do a little circle, and curl up, purring as she absently petted her. "Was he, like, scared?"

"He was shocked when you countered his blows. What caused his fearful expression was something that emanated from your aura," Android 16 explained, amending, "Incorrect. More so, what came from within you."

"Huh?!" she stared at him.

"I believe in your dire state, an unconscious force dug out from deep within you, harnessing a level of energy that overwhelmed him completely. You spoke something just before your retaliatory attack as well, but I could not understand it," Sixteen explained as he watched Scratch fall asleep on her lap.

"Like I said it in another language?" Sofia inquired, red eyes gleaming at him.

"No. It was a voice reverberating across several tonal levels, and the resonance was distorted due to the hissing quality the words were spoken in," Sixteen elaborated, eyes glancing stoically at hers. "I do not believe anyone other than Cell was close enough to make out what you said, but whatever it was stirred fear in him."

Absorbing that, Sofia nodded and glanced away, gaze becoming faraway as she contemplated what could have happened, and if she'd blacked out. _What could I have said? Was I that delirious from the pain that I said some crazy shit to him?_

"You said I blasted him?" she asked in a murmur, her brows furrowing as she struggled to remember.

"Yes. It was a mouth energy beam. You conjured it after an inhalation of ragged breath and blasted it directly at Cell. It was the same devastating energy force as Piccolo's attack on Goku during the climax of the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament. Unfortunately I cannot register your power level, so there is no way to quantify it along data points, but it was enough to shock and awe him," Sixteen mused, watching as her expression tightened and became bewildered at the lack of recall.

"Okay! Let's get to crunching data," Bulma suddenly announced as she entered the room with a bright-eyed Trunks cradled against her side and startled Scratch to yowl and scamper off of Sofia's lap to run out of the lab. "Huh! So rude," she chortled at the retreating feline as Trunks babbled cutely. "Hey! Did you sleep well? Was the bed comfortable?" the blue-haired genius addressed Sofia as she walked over to greet her and Trunks.

"Yeah! Oh man, it was the comfiest bed and the best night sleep I've had in ages," Sofia responded and took a reaching baby Trunks into her arms so she could smile like a Cheshire cat at him. "Seriously, buddy! I'd forgotten what it's like to sleep on a cozy bed. Ain't that silly?" When the tot laughed at her, she bounced him playfully in her arms as she danced over to Sixteen before turning Trunks in her arms as she drawled, "Hey, check him out. Can you believe this guy is an Android? And you were trying to pick fights with him?"

When the baby stared at Sixteen, he pressed his lips together and was expecting the tot to burst into tears, but instead was surprised to have him reach his little hand out to gesture for him to get closer as he babbled in baby chatter at him.

"Awww, that's too cute!" Bulma cooed as she watched Sixteen extend his index finger and allowed Trunks to shake it, as if in greeting, or perhaps in truce. "Dad and I are going to do some brainstorming for a bit, but I was wondering if you're still feeling drained today," the Capsule Corp heiress asked Sofia.

"Yeah, I do. Not sure why. The Senzus should've snapped me back into full strength, but it's hard to charge up ki," she answered as she flicked her wrist to conjure a ki sphere that fizzled like sparks within seconds. Trunks' eyes went wide and he swatted at the static energy as it twinkled out like falling glitter.

"Well, I have something you could try, but I'll have to set it up a little later," Bulma proposed as she walked over to the computer and began pulling up several interfaces as she mused, "It'll also depend on how long I can distract Trunks for while Dad and I work on this—"

"Oh, I can watch him for you," Sofia volunteered, holding the tot up and grinning at him as she purred, "Wanna hang out with me, buddy?"

Trunks clapped and babbled adorably before happily bouncing in her arms. "Awwww, well if you're up for babysitting, I won't talk you out of it!" Bulma mused. "I'll come upstairs once we've dug into these schematics a bit."

"Sounds good!" Sofia turned and smiled at Sixteen, who'd watched the pleasant exchange with an intrigued expression, fascinated to catalogue more human interactions for analysis later. "Say goodbye to Sixteen," she waved, the silly gesture quickly mimed by the bright-eyed baby as he waved and babbled along.

Smiling, Sixteen returned the wave with a curt gesture of his hand, lying back on the exam table as Bulma engaged the overhead scanners to x-ray his form after Sofia and the baby exited the lab.

* * *

"Oooo, chocolate cake!"

"Ugh, you damned, greedy pig!"

"Oh come now, there's plenty to go around, fellas! No need to squabble."

Arguing over the savory treats Mrs. Briefs had just brought out to the dining table, Oolong and Master Roshi one-upped each other in the rudeness factor while Chi-Chi judgmentally glared at them. The others were gathered in front of the giant big-screen television in the living space. Lounging in front of the TV, Trunks distractedly watched the screen as Krillin flicked through channels. Off by the windows, Vegeta leaned against the wall and glared on, feeling restless to just be waiting around for the so-called announcement Cell would televise about his proposed tournament.

"So I'm not misremembering Cell saying to keep an eye on the TV to find out where the tournament would be, right?" Krillin asked, becoming impatient with channel surfing.

"No, that's what he said," Trunks confirmed as he rolled onto his side.

Everyone but Yamcha was dressed casually as they lounged around, but the air was crackling with the tension of fighters spoiling for battle. Not being able to stand waiting around in front of the TV any longer, the scar-faced fighter announced he'd be going out to get some fresh air, with Krillin volunteering to join him so they could spar for a bit. As they conversed about the exciting prospect of fighting in another martial arts tournament, Vegeta goadingly groused, "You losers don't have much chance, so why even bother training. Once I'm done, none of you will have any reason to fight."

"Losers?! This from the guy who got his ass handed to him by Cell?" Yamcha jeeringly jabbed, earning a dark scowl from the Saiyan prince, who was dressed in a yellow sweater and tan slacks.

"No such thing happened! Once I've trained one more day in the chamber, I'll be unstoppable. Keep it up, and after I've eviscerated Cell, I might just add you to my list," Vegeta muttered snidely, squaring up against Yamcha.

"Oh, that a fact?! You mean once Goku's done training, he'll leave you in the dust, per usual, and defeat Cell all on his own?" Yamcha scathingly countered while Puar bristled with anxiety.

"A lot of talk from a guy taken out by a lowly Saibamen," Vegeta drawled sarcastically, earning a temper vein to throb to life on the other man's temple while Krillin nervously slid away from between the two arguing men.

"Why does that ALWAYS have to come up?! It was a surprise attack!" Yamcha railed, exasperated.

"Father…we can't be sniping at each other. We'll all need to work together to defeat Cell, and yes, that includes Goku," Trunks interjected, striding over to diffuse the situation by adding, "We'll all train. It's our best shot to take him on and stop him from whatever evil plans he's really cooking up."

Scoffing, Vegeta crossed his arms while Yamcha and Krillin grunted in unison.

"Whoa! What's with all the arguing?"

Turning, they all saw Sofia standing by the door that led from the hall. Looking stern, baby Trunks held onto the collar of her oversized sweatshirt as she loped into the room, bouncing him absently against her side so he wouldn't start fussing. Wearing olive leggings, white socks and turquoise-colored sweatshirt with asymmetrical collar, her wine-colored bra strap visible due to the top sliding down her left shoulder to expose part of her collarbone. Her long bangs were brushed back and fastened by a clip while the rest of her mane was swept down her back, allowing the delicate angles of her countenance to be on full display. Taken aback, Trunks diverted his glance, only to catch his father's stare, berating as he raised a thick brow at him. Remembering what he'd said the night before, Trunks had to suppress a blush while the others greeted Sofia.

"It's nothing! Just the usual chest thumping, you know," Krillin replied affably to her question. "Are you feeling better today? You must be if you're on babysitting duty!"

"Yeah! I mean, I definitely feel like my energy is all out of sorts still," she replied as baby Trunks yanked on her top for her attention. "What's up?" when he pointed and grunted impatiently for her to get him to the table laden with food, she smirked. "Ohhhhh, you want a snack, eh?" she smiled and waltzed over to the table and eagle-eyed the spread before conspiratorially snapping at Oolong, "Which of these is free of any of your finger marks?"

"Uhh, the vanilla pastry," the pig stammered, always unnerved by the beautiful, yet mischievous woman.

Taking a small piece, she offered it to the baby, musing, "Do you like vanilla?" When he gobbled the piece with gusto, she blinked. "I guess so!" she laughed and took the rest of the pastry before walking over to the nice, plush lounging area in front of the television while Mrs Briefs and Chi-Chi chatted at the table.

"Well, we're gonna spar for a bit. Holler if Cell comes on TV!" Krillin remarked as he and Yamcha walked out, making a point of not inviting Trunks with them after catching his flustered glance towards Sofia.

"Then I'll be commandeering the remote, if that's alright!" Master Roshi announced as he appeared over Sofia's shoulder. In her sitting position with Trunks balanced in her lap, he had a decent view down her shirt, but before he could really perv out, Oolong hit him over the head with the remote and shoved him over to the red couch.

Laughing at the sight, Trunks wandered over to sit just across from her as his child self grabbed a fist full of pastry and offered it up to her. "For me?" she asked, smiling before leaning down and eating from his hand, earning a happy giggle from the blue-eyed baby. "Mmm, so good. Thanks, Trunks!"

"Hey, um, are you sure you're alright?" Trunks attempted.

Glancing up at him, her crimson eyes were cool and serene as she licked her lips clean before answering, "I'm ok, I promise. I know it was totally insane, but it's pretty typical to have a near-death experience when you hang out with this crew."

"Hah, I guess…" Trunks replied flatly.

"Hey, I'm sorry for how I snapped at you yesterday," Sofia murmured, glancing up at him from watching baby Trunks finish the last bits of the pastry. "It wasn't cool—"

"Don't apologize. It was a high-stress situation, for sure," the long lavender-haired fighter mused, giving her a lopsided smirk. "Besides, it was worth it to see you blast Cell like that. You saved my life—"

"I did not!" she dismissively snickered, pursing her lips, showcasing her beauty mark more. His mind thought of reaching out and caressing the corner of her mouth the beauty mark skirted, which snapped him back to how inappropriate that would be. Sighing thoughtfully, she absently cleaned baby Trunks' hands with a napkin before wiping his vanilla-smeared face clean, totally oblivious to his tense glances and pensive stares towards her. "Cell was being an A-hole, and he clearly didn't intend to attack you. He just suckered me," she sighed contemplatively, watching as the baby version of the man across from her wiggled in her lap to pull himself up by the front of her sweatshirt as he baby talked at her. "I just wish I hadn't fallen for it. But hey, I couldn't really be sure…so many random things flew off track that it was hard for me to judge when to step in," glancing up at him, Sofia smiled meekly.

"That's how I felt too when I fought Frieza and King Cold. Don't beat yourself up over it," Trunks offered, giving her a reassuring smile.

Smiling back, she nodded. "Thanks for having my back, though. Now if I wasn't all messed up, maybe I could still be of use to you and the others," she huffed. "Sucks that I'm all out of sorts and can't channel my ki…wish I knew how to snap back to normal…"

From his vantage point, leaning near the window with his arms crossed, Vegeta scowled in silence and watched them, listening to their conversation.

"Hmmm, sounds like you over exerted yourself," Master Roshi stated, having recovered from Oolong's blow to listen in. "It's like any other muscle—training to use ki, I mean. Channeling ki requires a lot of effort and concentration, but if you overuse your energy, you can strain your abilities, just like pulling a muscle. Give yourself some time to rest, and you'll be back to wielding your inner energy again."

"Huh, that makes sense," she remarked, pondering the concept of having strained her chakras and needing time to realign herself to manipulate ki again. Meanwhile, baby Trunks was tugging on her oversized top for her attention, and decided to sit and pout up at her before wiggling his way up into the bottom hem of her sweatshirt and burrowing up it. "Hahaha! Hey—whatcha doing?" she giggled and peeked down into her sweatshirt, not noticing Trunks' eyes going wide with shock before blushing with embarrassment as his child self popped his blue-cap-covered head out of the sweatshirt and belly laughed at her. "You little stinker!" she grinned and cuddled him as she laughed along with him, falling backwards so he could rest on top of her torso while snugly secured in her top.

"Hehehehe, a guy after my own heart, eh," Master Roshi laughed, making goofy gestures while Oolong snorted in amusement.

"That's so precious!" Mrs. Briefs cooed while Chi-Chi fawned at the sweet scene.

Snickering, Vegeta thought, _At least there's hope for this kid…_

"Hey! Come on out of there," Trunks stammered, sweating tensely as he tried to coach his baby self out from Sofia's top. Sticking his tongue out and blowing a raspberry, baby Trunks scowled at him while Sofia laughed uncontrollably, earning everyone else's laughter while Trunks just balked at his younger self's attitude. "Well that's not very nice!" he argued, glowering.

"Ah, c'mon! He's just a baby. Not like he's trying to cop a feel," Sofia snickered, earning a mortified sweatdrop from Trunks at the premise that he, in any stage of life, would fondle her. Pulling Trunks free from her top, she held him out and in her best impression of Vegeta, snapped comically, "What's YOUR problem! Don't you know I'm a Saiyan baby elite?"

Bursting into peels of laughter, everyone but Vegeta was in stitches at the silly voice. "Is that supposed to be some sort of impersonation, stealth?!" the mercurial Saiyan huffed, earning an impish glance from Sofia.

She held up Trunks and snapped comically from behind him, "No, father! It's an impression of me doing an impression of _you_ , the Prince of _all_ Saiyans!" The baby's face was a perfect resemblance of Vegeta's stern scowl, in child form. The blue-eyed babe wiggled his arms commandingly and babbled. Not betraying even a smirk, Vegeta grunted and glanced away. Everyone else began to suppress their laughter for fear of earning the Saiyan's ire. Relenting, Sofia turned Trunks around and muttered, "Yeah, he's a tough one to crack, I tell yah. You'll just have to work on him more."

* * *

On the Lookout, Piccolo waited impatiently for Gohan and Goku to exit the Hyperbolic Time Chamber while Tien fiddled with the satellite TV he'd helped Mr. Popo setup in order to monitor the news for any mention of Cell. It was an inane and asinine exercise to wait around for the pompous, egotistical Android to make an appearance and announce the location of his bizarre tournament. He even thought how absolutely ridiculous it was for a villain to just drop in and broadcast some maniacal declaration around the world, when he suddenly remembered his sire, King Piccolo, had done the exact same thing. Frowning, he shook his head at the thought.

'He was very selfish and boastful, your father—'

'Daimaou was _not_ my father no more than you were my uncle or whatever…' Piccolo sneered pointedly at Kami's comment. 'Just like you were nothing more than a nuisance to him—we're just begrudging counterparts, not family, so don't ever imply familial bonds like that again between us.'

'Well _someone's_ in a touchy mood…' Nail offered sarcastically.

Grunting, Piccolo ignored him, not wanting to talk anyway.

'I did not mean any offense, Piccolo. I'll be more mindful next time,' Kami responded diplomatically.

"There. Finally got it working," Tien announced, stepping back to watch the news channel as the anchor declared there was nothing of importance to report after a peaceful, seemingly routine afternoon. "Think Goku and Gohan will be done with their training soon?" he asked the taller fighter, who was in his meditative pose, just off to the side.

"I think if they don't get out here soon, I'm going to go in and drag them out," Piccolo grunted.

Picking up the edge of a bad temper brewing just under the Namekian warrior's tone, he decided chitchat was over and busied himself with scrolling through other channels on the television.

'Listen, instead of biting everyone's head off, why don't you go check on Sofia? You obviously want to,' Nail inquired aloofly.

'For fuck's sake, Nail—'

'I'm serious! You're just up here, stewing away and brooding to the point of wallowing in your own self-loathing—'

'I am NOT, and if you've forgotten, we're dealing with more pressing matters—!'

'There will always BE other pressing matters, but you should be able to prioritize what's more important,' Nail snapped in a gravelly huff. 'Cell told them the tournament won't be for at least a week, so what're you doing just sitting up here? What's it matter if he comes on the television right now and announces it—?'

"—And now, for the international news – kyaaaaaah!"

"Is this or is it not the top floor studio?" A gloating, pompous voice inquired over from the TV, snapping him out of his telepathic convo to jump to his feet and rush over to see the screen.

"Y-y-yes it is! What the hell?! SOMEONE CALL SECURITY!?" the yammered cry came from the news anchor. Shocked, he watched as Cell choked the man and tossed him off camera before turning his attention to the lens, clearly ready for his close up.

"Well, good morning, people of Earth. I interrupt this broadcast to give you a special news bulleting!" Cell chimed, beginning his monologue aimed at the millions of terrified viewers around the world.

Meanwhile at Capsule Corp, everyone rushed to huddle around the TV to watch in horror as Cell spoke. Yamcha and Krillin ran in and were stupefied by the Android's smug declarations, balking as he went over the ground rules for what he was dubbing "The Cell Games". While everyone watched in abject dread, Sofia cradled a fussy Trunks in her arms as he began to whimper, seemingly sensing the anxiety in the air. When Cell stated the stakes of him not being defeated, the entire group shuddered with fear.

"That bastard…" Trunks hissed, irate at the helplessness he felt.

They watched as he blasted a whole in the back wall of the studio that decimated the cityscape before eradicating a mountain like dropping a bomb before Cell smugly ended his transmission with, "So, in closing, I urge all able-bodied fighters to consider my invitation, if you dare. Now…let the games begin! The tournament is in 9 days. Good luck, and see you there!"

Frowning, Sofia stood and maneuvered away to console Trunks. "It's ok, buddy. I know it sucks to feel everyone all wound up around yah, huh," she murmured, bouncing him affectionately in her arms as he fussed and gripped at her sweatshirt.

"TRUNKS!"

Bursting into the room at full speed, Bulma bowled over the others who were in her way as she rushed over to Sofia, taking baby Trunks in her arms and worriedly holding him and fretting, "Oh, I can't believe that ugly creep actually got on TV to scare the bejesus out of everyone! Did he scare you, hun?"

Smiling meekly, Sofia watched as the tot buried his little face in relief against Bulma's neck, settling down as she lovingly mothered him. Whirling around, the blue-haired woman glanced about to see her friends begin to rally and discuss training for the insane tournament the Android had just announced officially. When Vegeta took his sweater off and tossed it, Sofia and Bulma blinked at him.

"What're you doing, Vegeta?" Bulma inquired mildly as she continued to relax Trunks by rocking him with her swaying.

"Listen, I don't give a damn about this planet, but I promise I'll become stronger and destroy that asshole—"

"Language!" she admonished and gestured to the babe in her arms, scowling at him and earning an eye roll from the mercurial prince.

"He's right. We all need to get stronger. I'll come with you," Trunks declared, rushing to join his father when Bulma stopped him.

"Wait – before you go, let me at least cut your hair so it doesn't get in the way," she offered.

Turning towards his mother, he leaned over and glanced at his child self, who was watching him intently as he sheepishly responded, "Thanks, but, I think I'm going to leave it long for now." Raising a brow at that, Sofia was about to inquire why he wanted to rock the long locks when baby Trunks reached over and grabbed a fistful of his lavender strands. "H-hey! Let go, will yah! C'mon, stop tugging," he chuckled as the baby laughed and kept pulling on his hair. The irreverent moment cut through some of the tension in the room while Vegeta huffed and stalked out to get his Saiyan armor on.

Rushing over, Sofia helped pry the tot's grip from the fighter's hair and giggled as she purred, "Aw, you can't pull your own hair, dude!"

"Well, I think the party's over, kids. Suffice to say, I know when it's time to head home and batten down the hatches. Anyone who'd like to come along, you're more than welcome to," Master Roshi stated soberly, and while Oolong, Chiaotzu and Puar immediately agreed, Yamcha had to talk Krillin and Chi-Chi into coming along back to Kame House.

"You need a ride, Sofia?" Yamcha asked. "If you're feeling out of whack, it'll be good to take some down time."

"Thanks for the offer, but I should head up to the Lookout with Trunks and Vegeta. Hopefully I can manage enough ki to sustain flight," the crimson-eyed woman mused humbly.

Sliding in conspiratorially next to Trunks, Yamcha gave her a sly look as he drawled, "Well if you can't, just ask Trunks to give you another lift!"

Blanching, the lavender-haired fighter turned to stare wide-eyed at the scar-faced fighter as if to communicate, "What the hell, man?!" while training his expression into stoic blankness before glancing back at a confused Sofia.

"Huh? Another lift?" she inquired, perplexed while Bulma stared between everyone to try and pick up the innuendo Yamcha was laying on.

"Ugh, are you seriously still standing here prattling on?! Go get in your Saiyan armor, boy!" Vegeta barked after entering the room fully clothed in his trademark fighting attire and finding Trunks still in his Terran outfit.

"Ok-cool-sure-I'll-be-right-back!" the tense fighter quickly exhaled as he ran out of the room to do as he was told.

Blinking, Sofia turned and stared at baby Trunks, who babbled at her. "I have no idea either, dude…"

* * *

Standing out in the middle of the courtyard, Piccolo was sensing Vegeta and Trunks approach, knowing the two would be just as impatient for Gohan and Goku to emerge from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber as he was. He was not in the mood to put up with the cocky Saiyan prince and his attitude, however. Since Cell's announcement, he'd been stewing about the prospect of training in the chamber himself, feeling like he had much more to achieve in elevating his fighting prowess. He wanted to push through and get to another level of strength and power that would make it unnecessary for Sofia to have to step in and fight the battles _he_ should fight instead. The thought of her bloodied, unconscious form lying in his arms flashed across his mind with such force he felt an overwhelming sense of compunction. _I'll train on my own. If there's even a chance I can get strong enough to defeat Cell, it's worth the risk of her temper—_

'Do you think it wise to make such plans without consulting her?'

Kami's prodding question earned a glower from Piccolo as he seethed in a growl, 'I'm not going to stand around and let her get hurt again, dammit! I'll go into the chamber and train. Hell, even if I don't become strong enough to defeat Cell myself, I'll do everything I can to protect her so she's not getting tangled up in battles she shouldn't have gotten pulled into to begin with…'

'That's a slippery slope, Piccolo. There's no way for you to prevent her from getting involved. You should trust her—' Nail's retort earned a scoff from the other Namekian.

'All I trust her to do is jump in and intervene at her own peril, without a second thought about whether she could end up getting herself killed! I'm not going to continue to be party to her impulsive whims. She might know the sequence of events, but her intervention can very well result in a worse outcome…' Piccolo felt a brooding dread weigh over him, and he couldn't bring himself to think further on it.

'Not to be contrary to your feelings but, are you even sure you can make these choices _without_ Sofia agreeing as well? She's not usually keen to being told what to do,' Nail quipped, earning Kami's hum of agreement. 'Also, I'm pretty sure of everyone, she's the last person we should worry about dying in battle.'

'What the hell do you mean by that?!' Piccolo barked at the other Namekian.

'There's no way she'll perish at the hands of Cell. There's only one person who could end her life,' Nail remarked with a hard tenor grouse, feeling riled by the very topic, but knowing he clearly needed to remind his dense counterpart. 'You do remember what Daimaou said: as twin stars, he was the only being capable of killing Kyouran. It stands to reason the same can be said for Sofia. As her twin star, you are the only being capable of taking her life. So unless you intend to fight her to the death, you can cease worrying about her falling in battle, Piccolo.'

Remembering the vicious and cold way his sire had killed Kyouran, Piccolo felt his blood run cold at the suggestion that he would ever do the same to Sofia. '…I would never hurt her. And there's no way to know for sure about that. It could've been a sick, conniving idea that Hiretsukan bastard planted in Daimaou's head—'

'While Iyashii Hiretsukan _did_ machinate to influence Daimaou, I'm afraid that doesn't mean he was wrong about the connection that tethered your sire and Kyouran, the one that now tethers you and Sofia. Kyouran had suffered similar fatal blows, but had survived them all. Your sire's was the only one to succeed where others had failed…' Kami murmured.

Letting that sink in, Piccolo sullenly glared at the horizon across from where he stood on the courtyard. He never wanted to think of the topic again, and his counterparts took the hint and quieted.

"I just spoke with Chiaotzu. After Cell's broadcast, most people panicked and big cities are going to hell in a hand basket; the whole world is freaking out and people are desperate. He and the others headed back to Master Roshi's to wait things out," Tien stated once he walked over to him. "I sense Vegeta and Trunks coming, so I guess we'll be stuck waiting out the last few hours with them."

Staring stoically at the triclops, Piccolo was tempted to inquire whether his weird little companion also happened to mention if Sofia stayed at Capsule Corp or went to Kame House with the others as well, but was thwarted when his senses pinged on the arrival of the aforementioned father-son duo. Zooming up through the clouds and descending gracefully for a landing in the outer rim of the courtyard, Vegeta landed first, his cold scowl leveled at them as he marched across the expansive quad. Behind him, Trunks descended to a landing as well—his arm around Sofia's waist, pinning her to his side while her hands held onto his brawny, chiseled shoulder. Setting his jaw tightly, Piccolo's eyes narrowed as he struggled to keep his stoic expression in check.

'Uh oh…' Nail muse dryly, while Kami remained silent as he sensed Piccolo's hackles rise and blood pressure skyrocket.

"Whew! It's been ages since I've had to hitch a ride like this," Sofia chuckled as Trunks detached his grip from her waist and gave her a silly, lopsided smirk while he combed his rogue lavender strands out of his face and behind his ear. "Thanks for the lift, Trunks!"

"Heh, don't mention it," he replied in his affable, gravelly tone as they walked across the courtyard towards Piccolo and Tien.

Vegeta huffed and crossed his arms, having stalked ahead of them and over to the other scowling fighters before muttering, "Kakarot should be leaving the chamber soon, is he not?"

Appearing from the entrance of the palace, Mr. Popo replied, "Yes, it will be 3 hours until they've completed the full 24 hours within the chamber."

"Really? That much longer?" Trunks mused, impatient.

"I'm sure they'll stay longer than that. Otherwise they'd have no hope to surpass me," Vegeta groused, earning a glare from Piccolo.

"Well then, guess there's nothing else to do but sit around and wait," Trunks huffed, pulling off his thick white gloves and tossing them down to the front step of the palace before sitting, resting his elbows over his muscular thighs and tossing his hair back from his face again.

Giving Sofia a glance, Piccolo was about to reach out to her telepathically when he stopped himself. _I don't want to hurt her again…_

"You two saw the broadcast, right?"

Staring at her, Piccolo nodded. "Just another malevolent bastard televising his plan for world domination," he muttered as he crossed his arms.

"Hah, right? When's the last time _that_ happened?" she snickered and gave him a fangy smirk, picking up on his reference. "This is a little more dire than the King Piccolo saga though. Cell truly intends to hold the tournament, and everyone here's gonna fight—"

"Everyone? You're not including yourself in that, right?" Piccolo grunted standoffishly, raising a brow ridge at her.

Demeanor darkening at that, Sofia muttered, "Well I don't know, you tell me? Something I'm missing here?"

"Now, there's no need to worry about that just yet," Tien interjected, seeing former sensei and pupil begin to butt heads. "We'll know for sure who needs to step up to the plate once Goku and Gohan are done with their training. After all, four Super Saiyans should be more than enough to take Cell out, right?"

"Correction: only one Super Saiyan will be all it takes to destroy Cell, and that'll be me," Vegeta mused in a surly drawl. "Once Kakarot's out of there, I'll go in and surpass my current level—"

"You were just in there, Vegeta. Better if you rest and allow someone else to have a day of training. Once Goku and Gohan leave, I'll enter and train," Piccolo declared gruffly, glancing sidelong at the shorter fighter.

"Hah, you really think you can train and surpass a Super Saiyan?" Vegeta snickered. "Fine, you can have your day, but I intend to spend the remaining 8 days in the chamber myself."

Smirking condescendingly, Piccolo mused, "I wouldn't count on that. Didn't you know you can only spend 2 days inside? There's a natural limit to the time any one of us can spend in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. You're allowed a total of 48 hours tops, and not a minute over."

"What?! That's all?! What happens if you go over?!" Vegeta snapped, becoming annoyed.

"After the 48 hours, the door would disappear. You would be trapped in the chamber forever. You cannot exceed the 2-day limit," Mr. Popo confirmed, earning a scoff from Vegeta.

"As you said though, another day of training should be more than enough," Trunks mused, trying to placate his father's surly mood.

"That's right. Plus, who the hell would wanna spend 8 friggin' years in that void anyway?" Sofia chimed, waltzing over to drop down onto the step next to Trunks before stretching her legs out and leaning back on her hands. "I know I'd probably snap and burn the place to the ground, heheheh," she mused, smiling over at Vegeta as he glowered at her.

"That's because you don't have the fortitude of a Saiyan, stealth," Vegeta shot acerbically back at her.

"I had enough fortitude to tackle you into that hill, didn't I though," she impishly purred and shot him a defiant look, tilting her head to the side in a predatory fashion, as if sizing him up.

"Hah!" Vegeta barked a disparaging cackle at that, placing his hands on his hips as he turned to face her. "Can't do much now though, can you?"

Sighing dramatically, she looked over at Trunks and drawled, "Remember how mad he got when I rode him like a bucking bronco?" Everyone but Mr. Popo and Vegeta facefaulted at that, leaving the Saiyan to fume as he tightened his fists and glared balefully at her while the others recovered to watch her seamlessly flip to her feet and stretch, swaying like a dancer loosening their joints before she spun over and mischievously rubbed her flat abs as she grinned and chimed, "That one belly punch you hit me with rocked my world, for sure, but it was such fun – albeit nerve-wracking – to battle it out with you, so we gotta do it again soon, cool?"

Unimpressed, Vegeta raised a thick brow at her and tensely scoffed, turning his face away in a snit. "I don't waste my time with weaklings, so you better get back to fighting shape before challenging me again," he shot with a surly huff, earning Sofia's warm, disarming smile instead of the sulky reaction he'd intended to garner.

Piccolo watched her interact with them and was increasingly growing sullen as the brooding dread of before grew heavier.

Suddenly, everyone paused and jerked around to look at the palace once they sensed Goku and Gohan's ki signatures emerge.

"That's odd…I can sense their energies. Could they really be done already?" Tien tensely muttered.

"But, it's not even a complete year," Vegeta murmured, shocked. "Why would he not use the full time?!"

Stunned, they waited with baited breath as the footfalls began to echo their approach from inside the palace. Wandering over to stand next to Piccolo, Sofia watched as Gohan emerged first from the palace in his tattered Saiyan armor and in full-blown Super Saiyan mode. His wide, turquoise eyes focused on them, surprised to see them all waiting just as Goku walked out to stand next to him, also in his golden-haired Super Saiyan state.

"Huh? Ah, I was right, it was you and Trunks I was sensing," Goku remarked, glancing from Vegeta to the others before picking up the monstrous ki signature from down on Earth. "Oh man, that means that's Cell I sense? Damn, he seems even stronger than before!" the golden-haired fighter remarked, a bit disarmed, but not really shaken by the realization as he added, "Well, how 'bout you guys fill us in on what's been going on while we were training?"

Staring wide-eyed at Gohan, Piccolo marveled, "I can't believe how much you've changed!"

Gawking over from Piccolo to Sofia, Gohan blinked, remembering the last time he saw her was a year ago for him, and she'd been flying into battle with semi-perfect Cell. Rushing over, Gohan was hugging her in the blink of an eye, stunning her before she stared down at him. "I'm glad you're alright!" he mumbled against her, arms tightening when she smiled and returned his hug lovingly.

"Whoa, you're so freaking strong, dude!" she laughed, pulling back to register he was taller, and more muscularly defined, not to mention in effortless Super Saiyan mode. Caressing the top of his golden-spiked hair, she felt the crackle of static energy as the strands tickled her fingers. "Wicked! Look who's all Super Saiyan badass now, hahaha," she chuckled as he grinned up at her. Elbowing Piccolo, she chortled, "He grew up on us."

"Hmph, yeah, he did," Piccolo muttered with a smirk, proudly gazing down at his friend and pseudo surrogate son. After all, he'd spent most of his formative years training and nurturing the boy. His heart swelled seeing him transformed, and sensing his new level of strength was now one of the finest, personally rewarding moments for him.

"So Goku, about what you've missed," Tien began, as the fighter loped down the steps to join them.

"Actually, before we get into that, I'm staaaarving! Have anything we can chow down on, Mr. Popo?!" Goku prattled in high lilting tone, laughing irreverently when his stomach growled.

Sofia laughed at that, while Tien chuckled, realizing some things never changed.

Standing around to watch them greedily scarf down all the food Mr. Popo whipped up and spread out for them on the magical carpet he rolled out laden with food, the others marveled at their ravenous appetite.

"Jeez, wasn't there food in the chamber?!" Tien inquired, staring.

Mouth filled with noodles that still dangled in the bowl, Goku answered, cheeks comically puffed out.

Sofia shook her head while Piccolo sneered and grumbled, "Try swallowing and then answering…"

Slurping the noodles raucously in and down his gullet without even chewing, Goku sighed with glee before responding again, "There was plenty of food, but Gohan and I are horrible cooks!"

Recoiling with revulsion, Piccolo scoffed under his breath, "So disgusting," while Sofia giggled. Goku leaned back and Gohan gave his thanks to Mr. Popo for the meal.

"Whew, that hit the spot," Goku chirped before continuing affably, "So Trunks, how bout you fill us in on what's happened?"

"Uh? Oh, sure," Trunks responded after surveying all the empty plates they'd left in wonder.

While he explained and they all went to discuss in detail back over to the front of the palace, Vegeta sized up his rival, wondering what was so different about the Super Saiyan state he and Gohan were currently in. _They seem far too relaxed to be keeping up that state…what the hell could be the trick to it?_

"Whoa! You fought Cell?!" Goku exclaimed, addressing Sofia with gaping wonder.

"Yeah…let's not get into all that though," Sofia chimed and modestly waved the topic off. "The big takeaway is that he's hella-strong now, and spoiling to fight everybody to prove just how perfect and superior he is," she added, crimson eyes focusing intently as Goku pondered that.

"Sounds like it…a tournament, huh?" he mused rhetorically, turquoise eyes gleaming at the exciting prospect. "I gotta say – it sounds kinda fun!"

"Fun!?" Piccolo remarked. "Figures you'd think that…" he griped cynically.

"Oh c'mon, Piccolo! There hasn't been a World Martial Arts Tournament since you and I fought. You honestly don't think fighting in a new one is exciting?" Goku congenially remarked.

Gazing stoically over at him, Piccolo exhaled before musing in a baritone mutter, "Exciting or not, the stakes are too high for you not to take this serious. Cell is not just going to flaunt his perfection. If he wins and defeats all of us, he'll annihilate the planet, and move on to the rest of the universe."

"Well THAT'S a given, isn't it?" Goku retorted simply, earning a tense stare from Piccolo while he turned to ask Mr. Popo, "Oh, do you happen to have my training clothes handy?"

"Sure, I even washed them for you," the ebony genie smiled, materializing his trademark attire.

"Awesome!" Goku exclaimed and immediately began stripping off his tattered Saiyan battle attire right there in front of them. Sofia had to stifle a chuckle at his lack of modesty, diverting her gaze as he stripped to his bare butt before pulling on his boxers, quickly followed by his orange gi leggings.

"Uh, Goku? Shouldn't you change somewhere more private?" Trunks asked, balking comically at the heroic, albeit dense, fighter.

"Huh? Is there some reason I should? We're all friends here!" Goku chimed jovially while Gohan giggled, before realizing what his meaning was. "Ohhh! Sofia's seen me change loads of times! Not like she hasn't seen all of us in less than our boxers, after all," he chuckled, causing Sofia to loom behind him in a goofy, ominous way before she bonked him hard on the head. "Ooooowwww!"

"Way to make it sound like I'm a huge voyeuristic perv, Goku!" she snapped, grabbing his blue undershirt and orange gi top, then yanking them onto his head as she huffed, "It's not my fault ya'll run around buck-naked in broad daylight without a care in the world."

"Oh c'mon! Fighters change in front of each other all the time," Goku reasoned goofily as he tucked his shirt into his leggings before tying his blue sash around his waist. "You're just another fighter to me," he cheerfully smiled at her, earning an amused side eye from Sofia before she relented into snicker, shaking her head at him.

"You're lucky I consider that a compliment, Kakarot," she playfully wrinkled her nose at him, punching him in the arm platonically. "It's kind of a moot point to be modest, I guess, since I've gotten an eye full already over the years," she slyly muttered, eyes becoming narrowed, mischievous dots as the golden-haired fighter scratched the back of his head and chuckled.

Laughing tensely at that, Trunks asked Piccolo in an aside, "So does she mean she's seen all that back in her dimension, or—"

"Both. She means both," Piccolo muttered, arms crossed as he shot him a withering glance. "Probably best to assume the worst and not ask her for details."

Sensing he wasn't joking, Trunks gulped and dropped the subject.

"Ah, so nice to be back in my old threads!" Goku exclaimed as he pulled on his wristbands.

"Every clown needs his costume," Vegeta muttered sarcastically under his breath.

"I'm sure my mom could just make you another set of armor though," the lavender-haired fighter remarked to Goku, as he pulled on his boots.

"Nah, this is fine. I want to fight in my own training gear, as an Earthling," the affable fighter mused.

"Hey, Piccolo? Can I have a fighting outfit just like yours?" Gohan requested after walking up to his former sensei. Taken aback by the meaningful petition, Piccolo didn't see Sofia melt at the sight. "You were my first teacher, after all. Figure it's time to get a new set of clothes that shows that off," the golden-haired demi-Saiyan added, beaming with pride.

"Sure, kid. I can outfit you," Piccolo mused, smirking as he raised his hand and conjured the magical power flash that flared around Gohan before dying down to reveal him in an exact replica of Piccolo's trademark attire.

"This is awesome. Thanks!" Gohan chirped up at Piccolo.

"Oooo, lookin' sharp!" Sofia declared and wiggled her brows goofily at Gohan as she phased in and hugged him like an overbearing mom and chimed, "My little Gohan is ready to prowl!"

"Hahaha, you're silly!" Gohan laughed.

"Enough with the sentimental crap," Vegeta barked suddenly as he stalked over to address Goku with a steely glare in his dark eyes. "What's the plan then, Kakarot? Do you feel strong enough take on Cell?"

"Well, I can't say. I haven't seen him in his perfect form yet, so I'll have to take a look," Goku replied simply before extending his forefinger and middle finger to his forehead and using Instant Transmission to wink out of sight to go size up Cell.

"I hate when he does that…" Vegeta muttered dryly as he crossed his arms and glared over at Sofia. "Does Kakarot have what it takes to defeat Cell or not?"

Before Sofia could respond, Piccolo cut in, "Why the hell are you bothering to ask that when you know she can't divulge such details."

"I clearly wasn't talking to you, Namek. Or what, can she not speak for herself now either?" Vegeta acerbically jabbed, earning Piccolo's glower.

"C'mon, guys, there's no reason to argue—" Trunks attempted before Piccolo glared at him.

"I don't want to hear either of you yammer any more of your goddamned questions or comments!" the imposing Namekian raised his voice in a truculent tone, disarming Sofia to glance up at him as he continued, "If you don't think you have what it takes, then say that rather than snipe about everyone else's chances."

Tien and Gohan watched tensely as Trunks had no retort and Vegeta just smirked condescendingly at Piccolo before drawling, "You're just sour because stealth over there held her own better than you did against Cell. She has an advantage over all of us, and it'd seem it'd be her choice whether or not to share that advantage with the rest of us. Or are you threatened by that too?"

"Not as threatened as you were when Cell mopped the floor with you, no," Piccolo shot back in a measured tone, earning a snarl from the mercurial prince.

Sweatdropping from the exchange, Sofia was clueless of what to respond with when Goku mercifully reappeared between everyone. "Whew! Well that was interesting," the jovial Saiyan remarked as he glanced around at the others and sensed some weird tension. "Uh, did I miss something?"

"Never mind that…how'd it go down there?" Trunks retorted, redirecting the conversation away from the tense exchange between Piccolo and Vegeta.

"I hate to say it but, Cell's a lot more stronger than I expected. He's pretty formidable, and there's no telling what kind of damage he can do and I won't know until I try but at this point, I'm not all that certain I can beat him," Goku stated amenably.

"Seriously?!" Trunks gasped.

"Then you have to go back into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber to train more. There's time, so we might as well use it. We've settled the turns, so I'll go in next, then Vegeta, and Trunks, and then you both—" Piccolo explained until Goku cut him off.

"Nah! That's ok. Gohan and I have done all the training in the chamber we need. You guys can take the days," the amiable fighter replied simply and loped over to stand next to his confused son while the others reacted in shock.

"You're kidding!" Vegeta snapped, glaring at his rival.

"What?! So that's it then?" Piccolo asked, while Trunks and Tien balked at Goku. "You're not going back into the chamber at all?"

"Hey, don't worry about us. We've done all the training we need. Nine days is plenty of time for us to relax. We're pretty well prepared—"

"You've lost your damned mind," Vegeta barked.

"But you only stand to become stronger than you already are, I don't see the point in refusing more training—" Piccolo reasoned and paused when Goku shook his head at that.

"I get it, but there's such a thing as too much training. What's the use of pushing our bodies to their limit just to torture ourselves; no point in spending another year in there," Goku explained affably.

Glaring, Piccolo muttered, "You're implying there's no point for the rest of us to train, at this rate—"

"He's not. Look, training isn't a programmatic experience. We all achieve different levels of strength. We can't assume we all have to follow the same training pattern of entering the chamber. It isn't a guarantee we'll each reach the same level at all. Just worry about your own limits and train accordingly," Sofia reasoned to her twin star before glancing at the others and musing, "After all, only each of you can decide what you're willing to put your body through. Some of us might not want to go in the chamber if we're already at our limits."

Piccolo scowled at that, feeling the ire he'd been trying to suppress about her willingly jumping into harm's way simmer within him to a full boil now.

"You took the words right out of my mouth. I've decided not to train in there. I don't think I stand much of a chance," Tien remarked begrudgingly.

"Sounds to me like Kakarot's laziness is contagious. His ceiling might have been the exact dimensions of the chamber, but it stands to reason if you're not taking advantage of every moment to train, you're deluding yourself into thinking you have any chance against Cell," Vegeta muttered, a scathing expression leveled at the others.

Goku laughed it off and mused, "It's fine if you want to go in and train as hard as you need to have a shot, so do whatever you think is best. You can stand to get stronger, Vegeta, so take all the time you can."

"Don't patronize me, Kakarot. Suggesting you're stronger than me is a ridiculous notion—" Vegeta sneered.

"Well I wasn't really suggesting," Goku shot back, glibly. Sofia raised her brow and smirked while Vegeta stewed and gritted his jaw at Goku's retort, earning an amused grunt from Piccolo as well. "Let's save it for the tournament. That goes for all of you," Goku remarked before glancing over at Sofia. "We're going to pick up Chi-Chi and head home. You coming?"

"Nah, you guys go on ahead. I might be inclined to do some training myself, after all. I'll come visit soon," she waved off and smiled before walking over to Gohan and ruffling his golden hair. "You two mind your strength and take the week to chill, alright?"

"Hah, we'll try!" Gohan retorted, waving goodbye before he and Goku levitated and flew towards the edge of the Lookout, diving down towards Korin's Tower.

Leaving the others perplexed and tense, the conversation quickly turned to why Goku seemed so calm, and how they were able to retain their Super Saiyan form so effortlessly without powering up. While Trunks and Vegeta argued about it, Piccolo stared at Sofia as she reassured Tien that he shouldn't feel bad about not wanting to train in the chamber. Suddenly, they all froze as a monumental level of power surged upwards and rattled the atmosphere and Lookout.

"It's Goku!" Piccolo gasped, astonished that his old rival had achieved such power.

Sofia felt a shiver go up her spine. "Holy hell…he's showing off his power to Korin to get a sense of where he stands against Cell," she murmured while the others marveled at the fighter's prowess.

"If that's even half of his strength, then maybe Goku _can_ beat Cell," Trunks balked, earning Vegeta's aggravated snarl.

"Dammit, Piccolo! If you're going to go into the chamber then do it now and quit wasting my damned time," the mercurial Saiyan shouted, unnerving the others.

"You're in no position to be rushing me, Vegeta" Piccolo grunted, turning on his heel to stalk away and into the palace, leaving Mr. Popo to blink in awe before rushing to follow him.

"Well, I'll leave you all to it. I'm going to pick up Chiaotzu and use the rest of the days we have to get ready for the tournament. I'll see you there," Tien declared before gesturing his farewell and blasting off to the sky.

Glancing at Vegeta, Sofia comically put her arms behind her back and skipped over to the palace steps, whistling a goofy tune as she went while Trunks tensely stood and brooded near his father, befuddled by it all.

Rushing up the stairwell that led to the walkway towards the Hyperbolic Time Chamber door, Sofia saw Piccolo was already standing at the threshold and reaching for the handle. "Hey!" she called out to him, confused. When he turned sidelong to glance at her, she saw the steely look in his eyes and ran over to him. "What happened to not rushing?"

"Are you feeling better today?" he questioned instead of answering.

Raising a skeptical brow at him, Sofia sensed his standoffishness and realized it was towards her, not residual ire caused by Vegeta. "I'm fine, don't worry—"

'Can you hear me without wincing now then?' he telepathically boomed over their rapport, and Sofia mildly gritted her jaw and flinched. "I take that's a no," he huffed, adding, "You need to take time and relax. The stunt you pulled strained your abilities—"

"Stunt?" she cut in, head tilting to a dangerous angle as her eyes narrowed at his tone.

"You had no business fighting Cell," he answered instead, eyes narrowing admonishingly as he continued, "You're not able to use ki, right? So you might as well stay here and recharge your batteries."

Tensely witnessing the exchange between the twin stars, Mr. Popo frowned as he watched Sofia's demeanor darken. "Is that a suggestion, or an order?"

"Take it however way it makes you feel better, but I'm going to train in the chamber while you stay out here and reco—" Piccolo muttered before pausing when Sofia turned and stalked over to the side of the chamber's outer foyer to retrieve her small backpack. Snatching it up and hastily pulling it onto a shoulder, she turned, marched back towards him and glared up defiantly at him. "You are NOT coming," he growled, beginning to lose his temper.

"The hell I'm not," she hissed. "And who the hell do you think you are telling me what I can and can _not_ do?! I'm not your pupil anymore! I don't appreciate you devolving into your Demon King, sanctimonious, bullheaded attitude with me! If you're mad about something then you should talk to me instead of brooding and acting so snide—!"

"I'm _done_ arguing with you!" he shouted ferociously, shocking her as he bared his fangs in a harsh expression to rail, "This might be a game to you, but I don't have the luxury of knowing what will happen and how this whole thing is going to turn out. I'm going to train to TRY and get strong enough to be worth a damn in battle. You're just a liability now, and I do NOT need any distractions in there, so you will stay out here and recover from the damage you've put your body through and stay out of trouble long enough to get your strength back!"

Disarmed, Sofia stared at him for a long enough moment that Piccolo believed his statement sunk in, so he went to turn back towards the chamber door and opened it. When he pulled the door ajar and went to step through, Sofia growled, "Wait a minute!" as she tugged his arm back around with such force that he spun and defensively shrugged the hand off, unintentionally shoving her and causing her to skid backwards, sending her shouldered backpack to topple sideways. The momentum launched her Walkman like a skeet that spun in the air before it landed and smashed into several pieces, exposing circuits and the battery casing while the lid hung open, CD inside of it spinning idly.

Catching herself on the nearest column, Sofia turned wide-eyed and saw the device ruined. Pulse beginning to race as her blood boiled, she let her arms drop as a flood of emotions overcame her.

Piccolo saw her overcome and standing with her back to him, and his own heart squeezed painfully at the sight as he was flooded with guilt and anger at himself. He dully registered Nail and Kami shouting at him to do and say something, but he was so resolute in keeping her safe and at arms length from further getting involved in the battle ahead that against his entire inner turmoil, he turned and rushed into the chamber.

Sofia heard the click of the door shut behind him, and without realizing it, let go of the shaky breath she'd been holding before a sob suddenly caught in her throat.

"Oh, Sofia…" Mr. Popo stuttered sadly, and went to reach for her when she bolted and rushed across the walkway, avoided the destroyed device, and ran down the stairwell, passing Trunks – who'd been walking up the steps to go see what the shouting was about.

"H-hey!" he turned and saw the blur of her speedy movement as she disappeared around the corner. Perplexed, he turned and ran down after her.

Sofia's face was burning with hurt, rage and something else as she blazingly stalked the distance from the palace steps to the Lookout's edge before realizing where she was. Staring down at the fluffy clouds, she grappled with her emotions as her temperature came to a boil and steam actually began to haze around her frame. Digging her nails into her palms, she gritted her jaw as her senses bled into a rancorous focus on nothing other than the overwhelming fury she felt. Dropping her backpack to the courtyard floor as she felt her body fume, she heard her pulse seethe and the echoes in her mind murmur.

"Sofia!" she dimly heard from behind her. As Trunks ran over to her, he came to a halt when he saw her turn and stare acrimoniously over her shoulder at him. Standing over by the palace entrance still, Vegeta watched reticently as his son ran after the odd woman, but when he began to sense her demeanor bleed over into the same malevolent, searing quality he'd witnessed back when she thwarted Cell's attack, his interest was peeked, so he phased over to see what was happening. Unsure of what to make of her furious stance, Trunks attempted, "Are you ok?"

The question snapped something in her.

"Have I not proven I can fight?"

The seething growl took him aback. "What?"

"HAVE I NOT _PROVEN_ THAT I CAN FIGHT?!" she bellowed, hands clenched into fists as the scalding heat around her started to reverberate as a tight, red aura that pulsated scintillatingly around her frame. "I've trained and bled and pushed through the agony to be strong and prove myself to be enough of a fighter to hold my own amongst you! All I've wanted was to be worthy and stand on a battlefield along side you all and not be a burden or a liability and hold my own against any opponent without needing ANY OF YOU to jump in and defend me!" Her ki began to rise and spark like static along her seething aura as it grew a deeper shade of red the more she railed. "Have I not done enough?! TELL ME!"

Vegeta did not betray even a minute reaction as he stood with his arms crossed and stared at her while Trunks gazed in awe of her, flummoxed as to what to say. Then, he focused on her scintillatingly glowing crimson eyes, and saw dismay flash in the searing gaze.

"Looks like your energy reserves are working again, stealth."

Narrowed gaze sliding towards the Saiyan prince, Sofia barked, "What?!"

"Funny, but a good stoked bout of rage always helps a Saiyan push past their limitations. Seems the same can be said for you," Vegeta mused, smirking. "What ever did trigger such a ravenous fury, hmm?"

Glancing down at her hands, Sofia realized her aura was back, and she could feel her ki zipping like quicksilver throughout her system. Blinking, she stood straighter and flicked her wrist to conjure a molting sphere of ki in her palm, without any effort. Scowling, she glanced up and finally saw the shocked look in Trunks' blue eyes. When her gaze softened and focused on him, the lavender-haired fighter flinched and finally snapped out of his quiet stupor. "For what it's worth, I don't think any of us doubt your abilities at all. Anyone who gives you that impression is probably too wrapped up in their own insecurities to realize it," Trunks rasped out, offering her a lopsided smirk when he added, "The last time someone underestimated you, they got a blast to the face. I don't think any of us will make the same mistake."

Brows furrowing bemusedly, Sofia felt the pang of depression pull at her heart at the reminder that the person she loved had done just that. Piccolo pushed her away as nothing but a distraction to him. Suddenly overwhelmed, she snatched her discarded backpack and turned away from the father-son duo as she muttered, "I'll be back tomorrow."

Diving off of the Lookout's edge, Trunks rushed forward to watch her red energy contrail flare across the sky as she flew at what had to be sonic speed. Pressing his lips together in a slight frown, he wondered what could've happened to upset her so much.

"Better, but not enough, boy," Vegeta suddenly drawled, earning Trunks' comical backwards glance. "She's got spunk, but I doubt she'll bite unless she's into that sort of thing, so don't be such a skittish weakling next time," he grumbled, turning on his heel and adding in an acerbic mutter, "I'll chalk up the bashful loser shtick to your mother's side of your lineage…"

Sweatdropping and watching his father lope away, Trunks tried to shake off his mortified expression as he wandered back towards the palace as well. When he went to sit back on the steps to wait, Mr. Popo walked out with something in his hands, looking very morose. "Is something the matter?" he rasped out.

"I'm not able to fix such a device, and I'm afraid it holds a lot of sentimental value. Would it be something Ms. Bulma could repair?" the ebony genie inquired, showing Trunks the busted casing.

"I'm sure Mom could fix it…but what is it exactly?" the lavender-haired fighter asked as he took the busted device and glanced at its pieces before reading the name of the disk inside. "Wait, is this Sofia's?"

"Yes. There was an accident, and well…it became damaged," the genie frowned.

"Hmph…leave it with me. I'll see to it that it gets repaired…" the warrior from the future mused as he inspected the device further while his thoughts wandered to a certain crimson-eyed fighter, causing his heart to skip a beat yet again.

* * *

She landed on the plateau while the monsoon storm pelted her with torrential rain and thunder rumbled above and across the plains. Using her agility, she skipped down to the entrance of the cave, and trudged into it, dropping her backpack to the side as she flicked her wrist and blasted a ki flame into the waiting firepit. Watching as the flames quickly illuminated the interior of the cave, she let her eyes wander unfocusedly over all the mementos they'd collected over the years while she absently listened to the howling of the storm outside. A pang went through her when her mind flashed to the last time they'd been alone together in the oddly cozy space. Instead of letting the fond memory pull her down into the lonely pining her heart wanted to revel in, she gritted her teeth and began grabbing every keepsake, decoration and possession, tossing them in a pile on the bedroll they shared and went about encapsulating them.

Before long, the entire space was returned to the bare, dark cave it'd been years before, from the time Piccolo had been a young, confused child with his father's revenge burdening him. Tossing the capsule back into her pack, she felt the chill of her wet clothes begin to seep deep into her bones, so she sat by the small fire and pulled her knees against her chest. Resting her head on her folded arms, she stared blankly at the fire. The whispers of her thoughts were trying to numb her to the heartache she felt, but instead of holding onto the fury that had seethed inside of her, she dully realized tears had welled and brimmed over to cascade down her cheeks, and before she knew it, she was sobbing. The crushing stress, pain, anger and fear of the previous days overwhelmed her like a tsunami she hadn't been aware of, only made more formidable by the absolute sense of dismay she felt towards Piccolo.

Burying her burning face into her arms, she wept uncontrollably for the first time in a very long time, bemused by the familiar yet unwelcome mistrust that her twin star had managed to dig free after years of being buried deep.

The foreboding sensation she'd been trying to keep at bay for days hit her with stark clarity now.

She was utterly alone again.

* * *

'How could you do that?!'

'That was unconscionably cruel!'

'What possessed you to treat her like that!?'

'That was the absolute _worse_ thing you could've done—!'

'How could you betray her like that?!'

Piccolo gritted his jaw at the vehemently admonishing barrage his counterparts were hammering over the central bridge of their shared consciousness, and all he could do was hope they would tire of bellowing their consternation towards him long enough for him to get a word in edge wise.

'WELL?!' both Namekians barked in unison at him, their dark eyes narrowed and boring judgmentally into him.

'…I'll fix it once I've completed my training…' was all he could muster as a defense.

'You make it seem like YOU'RE the only one to have a say!' Nail snapped.

'The way you behaved was beyond the pale, Piccolo! Rather than discuss things, you recklessly pushed her away and what – think she won't resent you for it? That you'll be able to tell her how to feel?' Kami grumbled in a huff, disappointed in his stubborn younger counterpart.

'If I wasn't stuck in your thick skull, I'd give you a good thrashing for this—!' Nail sneered in a biting tone before Piccolo growled.

'ENOUGH! I don't need you two hens lecturing me about this,' he barked in a surly sulk. 'It's one goddamned day! She'll think about it and recognize there's no reason for her to come in here. After all, she's gotta stay out there to make sure nothing else diverges from the sequence events should occur in, so once her anger dies down, reason will take over—'

'When's the last time you two had that contentious of a fight?' Nail chimed in with a hard tone.

'…' Piccolo thought about it, and as if to make their point, Kami and Nail concentrated to replay the memory of when Piccolo and Sofia had almost killed each other in the chamber, and compounded it further by shoving the memory of their fight after she'd transformed and their relationship went to the next level.

'Oh, I remember how you pulled the same crap and tried to push her away. You honestly think there won't be hell to pay for your callous stunt this time?!' Nail groused.

'I'll deal with the fallout!' Piccolo shouted, glaring daggers at them before scoffing and turning to storm off the central bridge as he shot back, 'I have a year to train, so both of you do me a favor and keep your goddamned incorporeal mouths shut!'

Opening his eyes, he glared out at the void that endlessly filled his furious gaze. Stepping off of the palace steps into the overwhelming dimension, he went into full gear on his training, unaware how just a day could alienate the bond between he and his twin star.


	10. Ebbing Apart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Even MORE angst, hurt, and frustration in this chapter. Some mild violence as well, but you all knew that by now~. We also take somewhat of a detour? Hopefully it's a fun one!

"Speech" 'Telepathy' _Thought_ _*Reminiscing*_

"Mmm, Chi-Chi," Goku mumbled drowsily in his sleep, nose twitching comically at the delectable smells that were wafting into the bedroom.

"Huh? Did you say something, hun?" the raven-haired woman yawned as she rolled over to face her still-golden-haired husband, blinking sleepily at him.

"Hmmm, you smell so yummy, Chi-Chi…" the sleepy hero drawled impishly as he cuddled her against him, nuzzling her neck and earning a confused sweatdrop from his wife.

"What're you yammering about—?!" she began to admonish when she sniffed the air and sat up in bed. "Oh that smells divine!"

"Told you…" Goku sighed and rolled over before goofily falling out of bed. "Yikes!"

Rolling her eyes, Chi-Chi got out of bed and went to investigate the source of the smell and was almost knocked into the wall by Gohan, who was floating down the hall, led down to the kitchen by the wafting scent of delicious food.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Shocked to full consciousness, Gohan fell over, blinking up with wide, shocked turquoise eyes at Sofia, who was popping confetti streamers and dancing around the kitchen that was overflowing with plates and dishes laden with treats.

"Whoa!" Goku declared as he and Chi-Chi waltzed in and saw the scene before his stomach immediately growled. "Yay! Birthday breakfast!" he declared merrily as he rushed to sit at the table.

"Wow, is this all for me?!" Gohan balked at the food before staring sweetly up at Sofia.

Pulling him up into a bear hug, she barked, "Who else is 11 year's old today, kid! Of course this is birthday breakfast just for you!" As she cheered, she slapped the fork out of Goku's hand and earned a lame pout from the Saiyan before he chuckled irreverently at her, reminded of the tradition she'd established of cooking a bounty and demanding the birthday boy have the first bite. "Now go on and have at it, kid," she smiled as she placed Gohan into a chair.

"Thanks!" he praised before diving into the delicacies.

"This is such a nice surprise, Sofia!" Goku mused before stuffing his face as well, smiling cheerfully.

"I'm glad. I didn't want to break tradition!" she stated as she smiled and offered Chi-Chi her own plate of food curated from the bounty she'd made for father and son. "I can't stay long though, but definitely wouldn't miss this for the world," she remarked as she leaned down and gave Gohan his birthday kiss on the cheek. "Happy birthday, dude," she smiled.

Hugging her deftly, Gohan earned her comical wide-eyed expression when his grip was far stronger than he'd intended. "Thanks for everything, Sofia!"

"Dohn't mentiohn it!" she wheezed comically, features turning red from lack of oxygen before Goku gestured for Gohan to let go. "Gah! Whew, man, you still gotta work at minding your super strength," she laughed in a raspy tone before ruffling his golden hair playfully.

"How come you can't stay? We were actually planning on going on a picnic and drive later on. You should come along!"Goku inquired and invited, to which Sofia had to muster not to melt under the sweet, jovial stares of duo turquoise eyes as Gohan and Goku smiled at her to reconsider.

"Yes! Come along with us?" Chi-Chi chimed in as well, genuinely hoping she would agree so she could finally apologize to her.

"Sorry, I wish I could, but I gotta head back to the Lookout," she declined with a rueful smile.

"Aww, that's a bummer. Gonna go and wait for Piccolo to come out of the chamber?" Goku inquired, expression curious.

"Yeah…" she responded flatly, the smile she used not reaching her crimson eyes. "Which should be happening soonish, so I gotta run. You guys have a nice day!" she stated before heading to the door and picking up her backpack before offering them a farewell over her shoulder and phasing out through the open door.

"Awwww. Too bad she couldn't stay," Goku pouted. "I was hoping she'd make lunch, or maybe birthday dinner too!"

Scoffing, Chi-Chi shook her head at her husband. "Always thinking about your bottomless stomach."

Gohan giggled, happy and hopeful to spend his special day with his parents.

"A-hoy a-hoy! Anyone home?" Krillin announced as he peeked from the open door. "Hey! Happy birthday, Gohan," the former monk declared as they all greeted the shorter man.

"Hey, Krillin! So nice of you to visit, buddy," Goku smiled. "You JUST missed Sofia. Look at all the food she made for us! You want something to eat?"

"Oh, I did? So I guess things are smoothed over then, huh," Krillin smiled cheerfully, stirring Gohan and Goku's dual looks of Super Saiyan confusion. "Uhh, oh," the shorter fighter stammered when he noticed Chi-Chi's pinched expression. "Me and my big mouth…"

"What do you mean, Krillin?" Gohan inquired, following the fighter's glance towards his mother. "What's there to smooth over?"

"W-well…you see, I sort of let my emotions get the best of me the other day…" the raven-haired woman attempted, frowning at the memory of yelling at Sofia. "I was just so upset—!"

"Huh? What's that got to do with Sofia?" Goku mused, golden brows furrowing at his wife.

"I've been meaning to talk to her about it," Chi-Chi murmured, frowning with a hint of disappointment in her eyes.

Reaching out with his telepathic abilities, Goku peeked into Chi-Chi's mind and saw the memory she was regretting. "What?! Why would you yell at her like that!" he suddenly asked, taken aback by what he'd seen as he stood from the table and balked at his wife.

"You know?!" Chi-Chi gasped. Gohan stared between his parents in confusion.

"I just saw. I don't understand why you would blame her like that!" Goku actually scowled. "She saved my life, all of our lives, and it's not her responsibility to make us do anything."

"But if you'd taken your medicine before—!" Chi-Chi began.

"Exactly! It's _my_ fault I didn't take my heart medicine. Not Sofia's," Goku frowned, not understanding why anyone would lay the blame on her. "She's here to help, but at the end of the day, we're all responsible for our own choices and actions. She couldn't have told me to take my medicine just like she couldn't have told us about Cell. It could've screwed up stuff or made it even worse. It's unfair to put such a burden on someone," Goku stated soberly, glancing over at Gohan. "I'm sorry, son. We shouldn't talk about this now…let's go do something fun. It's your day."

"I didn't mean to cause a fracas, buddy," Krillin attempted, earning Goku's placating smile.

"Nah, it's cool, Krillin! No harm done," the amiable hero mused as he grabbed some fishing gear and gestured for Gohan and Krillin to head out first. "You guys set us up. We'll be right behind you." Krillin and Gohan tensely glanced at each other before doing as suggested, leaving Goku and Chi-Chi alone in the humble home. Once he sensed them far enough away, Goku dropped his amiable expression and frowned again as he turned to Chi-Chi. "I'm sorry for raising my voice," he offered.

"I was just so upset, Goku…I was afraid of losing you," she whispered, eyes welling with tears. "I lost my temper."

"You haven't said sorry yet, have you?" he inquired, crossing his arms and pouting when she diverted her gaze bashfully. "C'mon, Chi-Chi," he admonished goofily, but his eyes were earnest as he added, "You can yell at me all you want. I deserve it a lot of times, but that wasn't fair to Sofia. You need to apologize." Unable to meet his stern gaze, Chi-Chi heard him sigh as he turned and went to the door. "We'll be by the pond. Come join us once you're done packing for the picnic."

When she turned to rush towards him for a hug, he was gone, having used Instant Transmission to ping onto the other's location.

* * *

Pacing back and forth, Vegeta was impatiently grumbling. "What the hell's taking him so long?!"

"He should be leaving the chamber soon. Please be patient," Mr. Popo attempted, unfazed by the mercurial Saiyan's glare.

Leaning against a pillar, Trunks watched his father pace. "I'm not sure if there's much point to waiting around up here for our turn in the time chamber. Maybe we should go back to Capsule Corp—"

"You can go and tool around that damned building, aimlessly doing the trivial things Earthlings do to fill their time. I'm staying right here," Vegeta snapped before kicking at the Hyperbolic Time Chamber's door. "Dammit, hurry the hell up in there!"

Stoically appraising the tense scene, Mr. Popo suddenly perked up, as if he sensed someone's arrival onto the Lookout. Going to lope down the walkway towards the staircase, the ebony genie excused himself, hurrying in such a way it caught Vegeta's eye. Raising a thick brow, he glanced at Trunks, who shrugged. Rolling his eyes, the surly fighter stalked over and past his son as he went to follow the Lookout's devoted caretaker. Trunks followed suit, curious and grateful something distracted his father away from pacing and grumbling.

When they reached the front of the palace, they noticed Mr. Popo's relieved smile as he gazed up at one of the towers that was part of the sprawling, magical edifice. Following the ebony genie's gaze, Trunks noticed someone was lounging on the sill of the tower. One leg dangling over the edge while one forearm rested over her eyes, Sofia was precariously stretched out along the length of the sill, her other leg bent at the knee and her other arm resting over her stomach.

"Hmph," Vegeta grunted, smirking as he phased out to appear inside the open-air tower. Glaring across from her lounging form, he noticed her trusty backpack was resting on a settee, next to a boombox that had a long wire connected to headphones that were snugly over her ears. Trunks watched tensely as his father loped over and leaned into her personal space and got no reaction. Wrinkling his nose at seemingly being ignored, the Saiyan Prince snickered as he deftly tugged on the long wire, pulling the headphone jack out of the audio port.

Instantly, the sound he could on describe as the chaotic wails of hell incarnate blasted out of the speakers of the boombox and blared raucously across the entire Lookout. Trunks recoiled and flinched as he tensely cringed at the sound while Mr. Popo winced. Gritting his jaw as his eyes went comically wide, Vegeta stiffly stared in horror at the musical contraption and resolved to blow it up, when Sofia suddenly sat straight up and grabbed his wrist. Opening her eyes and sliding her seething stare towards him, Vegeta had to suppress the impulse to recoil at the malevolent, glowing gleam in her searing red eyes as the sounds from the boombox finally registered to him to actually be a song.

"What in the hell are you listening to…?!" Vegeta groused as he yanked his hand out of her grip and stared at the device as if it was possessed.

Swinging over the sill to reach and turn the boombox off, she crisply tossed the headphones onto the device as she stood and gave him a composed, stoic glare. "It's my easy listening. What're you doing up here fucking with my tune time?" she muttered in a level tone at him, delicate eyebrow sarcastically quirking at him when he just blinked at her answer.

_That is what she listens to in order to relax?!_ The usually laconic prince balked to himself as he snapped out of his bemused reaction and leveled a scathing glower at her. He watched as she encapsulated everything and tossed it back into her backpack before going to the tower's banister and hopping down without giving him a second look. Not liking her aloof airs, Vegeta sped down to get in her path.

Eyes narrowing at him, she scoffed, "What? Want me to make you a mix tape?"

Trunks blinked at the exchange before clearing his throat and remarking, "That's some music."

"It scared all the butterflies away," Mr. Popo lamented goofily.

"Sorry. Someone jerked my cable," she drawled before sidestepping around Vegeta and loping towards the palace entrance.

"What happened to that salaciously chipper mood of yours, stealth," Vegeta jab acerbically as she walked away while Trunks frowned when he continued, "Something's got your panties in a twist."

Pausing mid-step, she glanced over her shoulder at him, crimson eyes flaring garnet when she grunted at him. He had that damnable smirk on his cocky features, and for some reason she sensed he was trying to goad her into a fight. Tossing her backpack onto the palace entrance step, she turned and stared across at him before cocking her head to the side, deliberately sizing him up. "Is the prince sulking cuz he has to wait his turn to get into the chamber?" she sweetly purred, eyes sharp as she watched his smirk pinch at the corners. "Oh, it's that you're spoiling for a fight, and since Kakarot ain't around, I'll do, is that it?"

"Hah. Presumptuous little girl—"

"I might be a girl, but I'm clearly not little, bub. Cell ain't around to distract me from taking you on this time. If you're looking to pick up where we left off, I'm happy to oblige," she gave him a condescending smirk when his expression darkened with appalled rage.

"Whoa! C'mon you two, let's not do that shit again," Trunks snapped and stood between them with one arm extended outward, in gesture for them to stay right where they stood. "Our fight is at the tournament against Cell, NOT with each other."

"That fight is days away, boy. I'm in the mood for one right now, so step aside and don't get involved," Vegeta remarked in a hard tone and sized Sofia up. "Just do us a favor and get into proper battle attire, stealth. I'll wait," he condescended and crossed his arms as he gave her a derisive once over.

Glancing down at herself, Sofia pouted. "What's wrong with this?! It's no different that your spandex suit!" she barked at him, a temper vein coming to life on her temple.

"I don't know if you're going to a Yoga class or speed walking to get yourself one of those overpriced hot beverages with caffeine shots in them, but that is not an outfit that will hold up in battle against me," Vegeta cynically shot at her, snickering when she tensely sweatdropped.

She was wearing ribbed grey leggings, a blue sports bra underneath an asymmetrical formfitting lavender sweatshirt, and black Chuck Taylor sneakers. Lips pressing together into a thin line, she realized his critique wasn't that far off. "Ugh. FINE!" she hollered with a sneer before snapping her fingers and materializing her own female version of a Saiyan battle suit, but instead of it being navy blue like Vegeta and Trunks', hers was charcoal-color with the white and gold-tipped boots only. Glove-free, the thumb-holed fabric contoured to her palms, smoothly. "So damned bulky," she huffed, patting the formfitting armor as she tossed her long dark hair out over her shoulders and posed with her hands on her hips. "There, does this pass your fashionista requirements?"

Trunks was flummoxed as he nervously laughed and backpedaled out from between them, eyes comically wide while Vegeta assessed her appearance with an appraising glare. "No gloves?" was all he tisked, earning her snarky expression.

"Nails are too long," she explained simply as she materialized a glove on her left hand and quickly pierced through the fingertips of the fabric after clenching her fist, exposing her wickedly pointed black nails, for effect.

"Hmph. Fine, that'll do, stealth," he snickered gruffly and fell into stance.

"Oh my, please do not get carried away. After all, this is still a sacred place," Mr. Popo beseeched, hands wringing idly as he fretted.

"The only damage we're gonna do is to each other, right Vegeta?" she smirked with a wicked gleam in her eyes.

"Now that, we can agree on," Vegeta chuckled gruffly at that.

Trunks gulped. "Well hell…this should be interesting…"

* * *

Sitting up slightly, Goku cocked his head to the side and quietly honed in on what he was sensing while Gohan, Krillin and Chi-Chi chatted.

"Something wrong, buddy?" the former monk inquired, causing the others to pause as they snacked over the picnic offerings.

"I don't think so. For some reason I can sense Vegeta's power level spiking for the last few minutes," the golden-haired Saiyan retorted, amiable wide eyes blinking at the confused faces of the others before he smiled and waved it off. "I'm sure it's nothing!"

"Well, it's getting late, and we promised Master Roshi we'd stop by later before heading back home," Chi-Chi attempted delicately, still feeling her husband's good-natured-yet-admonishing demeanor every time she even came close to reaching her normal, overbearing pitch.

Just as Goku was about to respond, his attention was distracted upwards to the sky, where a fleet of fighter jets were crossing the distance in formation. They all watched as the jets made course across the blue, tranquil sky.

"Huh. I wonder where they're off to…" Goku mused, scratching the back of his head idly.

* * *

The punch connected with her side with enough force to make her grit her teeth as the surge of pain laced across her torso. Using the momentum to her advantage, she spun a kick that caused him to deflect with his forearm, but not dodge her open-palm blow to his chest that sent him skidding back across the center of the courtyard they were sparring in.

Vegeta sneered, finding her fighting style odd and disarming. With her height, he should've had the advantage in being able to dodge all her blows, but for some reason, the red-eyed woman fought as if she was of short stature as well. When he'd get low, she'd match him and deflect most of his combos. The last one that connected with her side was one of the few he'd managed to land, and it was vexing him to no end.

From the sidelines, Mr. Popo and Trunks fretted, in their own ways, over the tit-for-tat session between the two fighters. They'd only been fighting for maybe minutes, but it felt like an eternity for the lavender-haired demi-Saiyan. He knew intervening in any battle his father was participating one-on-one in would result in the man's irrevocable ire, but he'd quickly gathered that Sofia would not take kind to any interruption either.

"Thank goodness they agreed to sparring strictly hand-to-hand. I'd hate to see the damage they'd do to the place if they used ki," the ebony genie ruefully mused, tracking their speedy combos and tussles while Trunks frowned.

"He's getting angry though, so that might not last for long," he groused, blue eyes sharp on his father's deepening scowl when his blows weren't overpowering Sofia. He knew his father wouldn't deign to transform into a Super Saiyan just for a spar session against a non-Saiyan. It would've said too much about Sofia's stamina and prowess – how she was doggedly formidable to hold her own and require him to level up just to put her in her place.

Sofia's muscles were aching, but there was no way she would show that outwardly after years of training and honing a true poker face in battle. This was no way a friendly spar session either, so when Vegeta sped full force at her, she deliberated about using her more damaging strike patterns, but braced herself and curled her hand back into a fist instead. Just before he reached her perimeter, he skid to a halt and sneered at her. "Quit holding back!"

Narrowing her eyes, she barked, "I'm not! Don't get outraged because I'm holding my own—"

"You hesitated just now. What ever fighting technique you were going to use clearly is one you think can do actual damage, so quit holding back and fight me for real before you make me really angry," Vegeta interjected, his surly tone crisp as he sized her up.

Huffing at that, she went into her more predatory stance and unfurled her hands from fists into Crane-style pose, her hands configured in striking pattern with her lethal nails pointed deftly towards him. The sun gleamed across the sharp talon-like nails just before she advanced with her super speed straight towards Vegeta, aiming her palms to strike at key pressure points along his torso. The mercurial Saiyan dodged each strike, but was unable to counter without chancing coming dangerously close to being sliced or pierced.

Suddenly, she phased out and phased in at his side, managing to successfully strike a hit just under his armpit that pierced through his armor to send a jolt that startled him more than pained him. Reflexively striking his arm outward, he clipped her and caused her to spin away before she recovered and barreled right back at him with her fist pulled back for a decisive blow that would've connected with his cheek, but she suddenly halted and turned towards the palace when she sensed Piccolo.

Taking advantage of her distraction, Vegeta spun around and punched her across the face, his fist large enough to connect with her cheekbone and catch the corner of her mouth before her head was whipped to the side.

Mr. Popo and Trunks gasped at the blow and watched when Sofia seemed to shudder before she planted her foot firmly to her side to prop her from spinning further and falling to the ground. Turning slowly to face Vegeta, instead of the stunned expression he coveted and expected, he was disarmed by the ferocious look in her crimson eyes as they gleamed with a fiery zeal to accompany the wicked smirk that pulled across her lips. Shocked, he watched as her hair tussled wildly while her tongue darted out to lick the blood from the gash his punch had caused at the corner of her mouth. Grin widening to show off her fangs as the gash knitted shut, she returned his blow with a stunning uppercut punch to his jaw, which snapped his head backwards and caused him to slightly waver.

Jaw dropping, Trunks stared in awe as Vegeta shook the punch off and glared back at her. Sofia was beaming now as she fell back into her predatory fighting stance after tossing her long, dark hair back and out of her face.

Absently caressing his jaw, Vegeta couldn't help the gloating smirk pull at his lips as he drawled, "Now that's more like it, stealth."

"Heh, a compliment from the Prince of _all_ Saiyans, eh? I must've punched you harder than I intended," Sofia quipped, smirking back at him.

Vegeta grunted dryly at that before turning his cocky gaze from her to just over her shoulder. "About damned time, Namek."

Freezing, Sofia fell out of stance and turned sidelong to follow Vegeta's glance and saw Piccolo standing at the threshold of the palace entrance. He was glaring across at them, eyes narrowed and expression etched in stone while his tattered clothes hung on him.

"Whoa…" Trunks muttered as he marveled at Piccolo's heightened power level.

Snickering, Vegeta loped across the distance to climb the stairs and pass Piccolo for direct course to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. "All this time, and it seems you haven't changed a bit. I take it you spent the year napping in there?" the brash Saiyan shot snidely as he walked by Piccolo, pointedly glancing over his shoulder and smirking derisively when the warrior only stewed at having stalked out of the chamber to witness the spar's conclusion. "That was a nice little session, stealth. Maybe we'll do it again sometime," he snickered and made an aloof gesture that could be considered a wave over his shoulder as he phased out of sight.

Tensely glancing after his father, Trunks cleared his throat as he remarked, "At least that went pretty well."

"Hmph," Sofia huffed wittily at that and glanced over at Mr. Popo. "Sorry for stressing you out."

"No harm done. Vegeta's entered the chamber, so his year has begun. I'll go get you all some refreshments," the ebony genie smiled as he turned and went about to complete the errand, leaving the lavender-haired fighter to stand between Piccolo and Sofia.

Sizing her up, Piccolo couldn't help but let his gaze wander over her luscious form. She was in the accursed Saiyan battle uniform he hated so much, but now found so damned alluring on her. She looked like a ferocious hellion as she stood there, eyes burning a shade of garnet when they finally focused on his. Before he could think to say anything, she turned, as if sensing something happening below on Earth, and stalked away without so much as a greeting.

Trunks picked up on her guarded demeanor the moment she'd seen Piccolo, and chalked it up to whatever upset had happened the day before he'd entered the chamber. _He must've rebuffed her from entering to train with him, just like Dad did to me._ Sighing, he turned and tried to diffuse the awkward tension by remarking, "Your training in the chamber worked out great I take it. I only hope I can ascend in strength to the degree you've managed the next time I go in—"

"You can spare the chit-chat," Piccolo grumbled tersely, sliding his cold stare over at Trunks before glancing back to follow Sofia, who'd trudged over to the closest edge of the Lookout.

Blinking at him, the longhaired fighter nervously nodded and sat at the stoop of the palace entrance, abandoning all attempts at conversing with the brooding warrior.

'No need to be so rude towards him, Piccolo,' Nail muttered tersely. 'If you're still nursing that jealous streak—'

'I'm not in the mood for your commentary.'

'When are you _ever_?' Nail condescended back, adding, 'And don't be obstinate with us because you've spent a year in a rut of your own making.'

'We warned you of this, but you didn't take us seriously. It's high time you go to her now and apologize before things just get more tenuous—'

'Kami, I won't tell you this again. She and I will be fine. I do not have to go and have a powwow about our feelings right now!' Piccolo snapped brusquely.

'At least say SOMETHING to her then? Go over there and acknowledge that you want to talk to her and daresay, APOLOGIZE to her for the way you treated her before you entered the chamber?' Nail pushed, tenor tone teeming with aggravation towards the stubborn Namekian.

Brooding, Piccolo ignored his counterpart and watched her tensely before he registered the happenings down on Earth that had distracted her away.

Sofia was sensing Cell's onslaught on the Royal Army's military forces that had gathered to take him out, only to be decimated in several offensive attacks. _Was that supposed to happen today? I could've sworn they attack much later…_ Her skin was crawling at the feeling of so many low energy signatures dim simultaneously as hundreds of lives were taken by the conceited Android. Frowning, she shut her eyes and tried to detach from her ability to sense such devastation, but failed, feeling useless and complicit. _Standing here while people die…what the hell am I even doing here?!_

Turning, she treaded away from the edge and reached out for Goku's ki signature. She hoped he'd come up to the Lookout soon and progress the next necessary sequence of events in order to have an advantage against Cell and bring back all those lost since the bioengineered Android surfaced on Earth. Before she could lock onto the Saiyan's energy level, Mr. Popo appeared around the corner from the palace, carrying a tray of refreshments. "Oh, Sofia! Please come relax and have something to drink."

Skidding in her pace, she turned and smiled meekly. "I'm ok, Mr. Popo. I'm not really thirsty—"

"Just humor an old genie?" he smiled and held up the refreshments. Relenting, Sofia walked over and took a glass of water, and drank it down. "I meant to speak to you earlier and apologize."

"Huh?! For what?" Sofia blinked at him, disarmed and not sure what the ebony genie would need to be sorry for.

"Well, I should've checked on you yesterday…but I just haven't seen you so upset, and didn't really know how to be helpful in the moment," the genie frowned. "I know now it would've been nice to have someone to talk to."

"You have nothing to apologize for," Sofia stoically sighed, and placed her empty glass on the tray. "I appreciate you caring though. I'm going to take your advice and relax," she smiled and turned to walk back towards the center courtyard, avoiding glancing at the palace's entrance, where the others were.

Humming sadly, Mr. Popo took the other refreshments over and offered them to Piccolo and Trunks. While the demi-Saiyan guzzled his down, Piccolo declined and just kept staring at Sofia. 'She's ignoring me…' he telepathically muttered.

'After the way you behaved? What else did you expect?!' Nail chastised.

'I expected her to be rational and put personal feelings aside for later,' Piccolo grumbled.

'She's clearly doing that, Piccolo,' Kami huffed. 'Otherwise, she would have verbally eviscerated you by now…'

Grunting, Piccolo realized he had a point. Crossing his arms, he watched as she went into her kata stances, but unlike the typical sequence of training combos, her eyes were closed as she honed her inner aura and energy outwards. The radiant, pulsating tendrils of ki framed her and flickered like a molten glow that reverberated and danced around her. He realized this was her attempt at centering her psionic powers before controlling the impressive energy to her whims. When she took a deep breath and centered her psionic energy to move at her whim, he remembered the time she'd showed him the training sequence. _*"It's a technique Kyouran learned during her demon slayer training—well, actually her title was Demon Destroyer, but that's only cuz she was groomed to be more ruthless—"_

" _Sofia, you're going off track," he'd playfully interrupted, causing her to pause in mid inhalation of breath. "So this is how you've gotten so damned quicker."_

_Nodding proudly, she showed him the technique. Taking in a measured inhalation of breath, she suddenly sped across to him and instantly put him on the defensive in their spar session. Before he could even assess how she was able to move so quickly, he realized her strength and stamina were boosted to their upmost level, and she wasn't even powered up. Smiling, she let out the charged exhale of breath, and it steamed out of her mouth as if her system was scalding. Her body's hidden aura seemed to vaporize the air around her. Blinking at the sight, he fell out of his stance and let her pose in that gloating, cheeky way of hers as she chirped, "Cool, huh? The other priestesses were human, and to have any kind of chance fighting demons, they used total concentration breathing to boost their heart rate and blood flow. The concentration of oxygen into the blood stream fueled an increase in speed and burst in fighting prowess. For Kyouran? It made her even more formidable! She barely ever powered up to fight, but was insanely quick and never tired!"*_

Watching her now, he couldn't help miss how she'd looked at him then, full of excitement and pride, brimming with love in her eyes for him. Instead, she practiced at a distance, her guard up and her aura leaking around her as she exhaled a charged breath that made her look even more like a furious sprite who was teeming with resentment.

Hands undulating and flexing to channel and direct the energy around her, Sofia tried to drown out all her anger and just find the calm that the particular training sequence always provided her, but the thoughts in the back of her mind were fixating on the simmering resentment and anger that had been piling up for days.

_Why not just do what you wish?_

The thought annoyed her, and caused her aura to spike, simmer and scintillate about. Just when she was about to turn the question back around on herself, Goku suddenly phased in, right in front of her. Startled, the Saiyan backpedaled when her palm strike came inches away from his nose.

"Yikes! Sorry about popping in like that. It's such a pain that I can't sense you, Sofia," Goku lamented and nervously grinned at her. "Saiyan suit?! So you were the reason Vegeta's power level kept spiking, eh?"

Shaking off her thoughts, she let her aura go dormant as she scoffed at his supposition. "It was just a friendly spar, but yeah, we killed some time until Piccolo got out of the chamber."

"Oh yeah, speaking of Piccolo," Goku chortled as he turned and rushed over to the palace, where Trunks and Piccolo were surprised to see the Saiyan still in his relaxed, powered-up state. "Hey guys! So Piccolo, you knocked out some great training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, huh?"

"Yeah, but you already knew that," Piccolo huffed, eyeing him crisply.

"I can tell it did wonders! You got way stronger than you were before—"

"Stop with the idle banter and get to the point. I'm stronger, but you don't think I'm strong enough to be a match against Cell," Piccolo groused, curt with his former archrival.

"Nope! You don't stand a chance," Goku pleasantly declared, earning a grunt and smirk from the Namekian while Trunks gaped at the admission.

"I can at least count on you being honest," Piccolo muttered aloofly, glancing over at Sofia when she loped over. "So what brings you up here? I know it's not to shoot the breeze."

"Well I was thinking," Goku began before sobering to ask, "Can you and Kami split apart again? That way, the dragon balls will reactivate and we can use them to wish all the people back to life that were killed by Cell!"

Scowling, Piccolo replied, "It's not possible. Once two Namekians fuse, they're permanently joined. That's the reason why I was so hesitant to merge with Kami to begin with. We can never be separate entities again."

"Ah man…" Goku pouted.

Sofia was still ignoring Piccolo's gaze, but he watched as her eyes narrowed on Goku, as if she was expecting a follow up.

"Damn, it would've been great to have the dragon balls working again, if not to have them handy if things with Cell don't go in our favor," Trunks murmured, scowling thoughtfully.

Clearing her throat, Sofia raised a brow at Goku when he looked over at her with the child-like, wide-eyed turquoise gaze of his. "Is that it?" she prompted, hands on her hips and foot beginning to tap idly.

"Uhhhh, what did I miss?" Goku comically blinked at her.

Nose crinkling in impatience, she actually scoffed in a very Vegeta-like manner before she ruefully shook her head at him. The fact she was in her Saiyan-inspired battle outfit punctuated her demeanor's resemblance to that of the mercurial prince. "C'mon, Kakarot, think! What other options would be possible in achieving the reactivation of the dragon balls?" she barked, giving Goku a searing stare when he only hummed and crossed his arms as he began to focus with all his might.

"Oh wait!" the Saiyan suddenly shouted. "I remember Gohan telling me that the surviving Namekians had relocated to another planet out in space. All I gotta do is track them down and convince one of them to become the new Guardian of Earth – then they can bring back the dragon balls!" Goku declared triumphantly, earning a relieved sigh from Sofia.

"What?! How're you gonna manage that?" Piccolo grumbled. "We don't know where they relocated to, and there's definitely no time to go charting across the universe in search of them. That could take years!"

"Not at all! I can use Instant Transmission to get to them," Goku remarked. "After all, their ki signatures are a lot like yours, so I'll just try and ping onto them."

"Oh, that would be wonderful! I would love to have a new guardian to keep me company here," Mr. Popo remarked, smiling ear-to-ear.

"You can sense energy that far away?! They could be on the outer edge of the universe for all we know," Piccolo reasoned, taken aback that the man was so confident in his abilities.

"Well he won't know unless he tries, now will he," Sofia snapped, getting very irritated. "Go on, dude."

"Sure thing!" Goku declared and raised his index and middle fingers to his forehead and began to concentrate. As he reached out with his mind to hone in on a similar ki signature to Piccolo's, the Namekian glanced sharply at Sofia as she stood defiant and trained her fiery stare on Goku. Suddenly, the Saiyan purposely glanced around and declared, "Nope…no dice!"

Balking at that, Piccolo and Trunks faltered into comical stares while Goku laughed nervously.

"So much for that then," Trunks muttered flatly.

"Ugh!" Sofia huffed in exasperation as she grabbed the lapels of Goku's casual black and orange varsity-styled jacket and railed as she shook him, "I can't take it anymore so I'll speed this shit up. Go to King Kai's place! You'll be able to hone in and sense the Namekian ki signatures from there way better, and you can ping onto them and leap frog to their planet, then back to King Kai's and onto Earth!"

Goku let her shake him as he goofily yelped, "Yeah-that-makes-sense!"

Letting him go and exhaling her impatience, she tossed her head back and huffed, "Good! Now go before I really lose my cool, Kakarot!"

"Okie-dokie! I'll be back in a flash," Goku laughed before using Instant Transmission to wink out of sight.

"This seems like a stretch…do you really think he'll pull it off?" Trunks inquired dryly.

"He's either a secret genius or a complete lug-head, so I say you shouldn't rely on it if that's what you mean," Piccolo grumbled.

Sofia turned on her heel at that and pointed admonishingly at him as she barked, "Ye of little faith! Why don't you just shut the hell up and give Goku the respect he deserves for ONCE and stop your salty quips at his expense."

Eyes shrinking to pinpoints, Trunks nodded vigorously in compliance while Piccolo tensed and inwardly fumed as his cheeks began to burn with a violet, consternated blush. Mr. Popo stared in awe at the exchange. Storming off, Sofia went and sat off to the side by a line of arborvitaes, arms tightly crossed over her chest and head bowed.

'How DARE she speak to me like that?!' Piccolo was furiously growling telepathically at his counterparts, who were unmoved.

'You act as if she's still your trainee,' Nail drawled.

'She'll speak to you just as you spoke to her,' Kami rumbled curtly.

'Oh, you two are _just_ enjoying this—!'

'We are _not_!' Kami and Nail shouted back at him in unison.

Before Piccolo could retort, Goku suddenly appeared, with a small Namekian at his side. "Hey guys! Here's our new guardian," he declared jovially.

"Dende?!" Piccolo gasped, surprised that the healer-class Namekian was the one chosen to take the leap and travel back to Earth.

"Oh how wonderful! I'm so happy to meet you," Mr. Popo remarked pleasantly as he greeted his new companion.

"You stay right here while I go grab Krillin and Gohan. They're going to be so psyched!" Goku chimed before winking out of sight.

Sitting from where she was, Sofia watched as Trunks greeted Dende as well just as Goku returned. Krillin and Gohan were so happy to see their old friend, merrily greeting him and congratulating him on being the new Guardian. The endearing scene softened her demeanor, so she stood and loped over.

"Oh! Have you met Sofia, Dende? She's our friend," Gohan announced and grabbed Sofia to pull her over to greet the shy Namekian.

"Hello, Dende," Sofia kneeled down and extended her hand congenially. "It's very nice to finally meet you."

The wide-eyed Namekian stared at her and was taken aback by her appearance before he shook her hand sweetly. "Hello. Are you a warrior too? I cannot sense any ki from you," he inquired curiously.

"Yep! It's a very long story, but maybe we'll chat once you've settled into the job," she smiled serenely, earning a nod and kind expression from Dende.

"So, what's with the outfit?! Did you take a trip to New Namek with Goku or something?" Krillin inquired sardonically at Sofia as he eyed her attire.

"Nah, but hey, this is better than brief underwear, arm and leg warmers, right?" she quipped, earning goofy laughs from Gohan and Krillin at the Zarbon reference.

"Alright, enough with the chatter! Are you really up for the challenge, Dende? Tell me you have the training necessary to become Guardian of Earth and revive the dragon balls," Piccolo gruffly inquired.

Goku chimed, "Ease up, Piccolo! That elder guy said Dende is the best and totally the right candidate for the job. That's enough for me."

Sofia stood and shot him a searing glare. "Seriously. Being so snide about his qualifications when Nail can obviously vouch for him. Dende is legit, and will make a fantastic Guardian of Earth," she muttered standoffishly at him.

Gohan and Goku sensed her temper towards Piccolo and didn't understand it, but knew better than to ask, while Krillin and Trunks were just gawking at the exchange until Mr. Popo cleared his throat and asked, "Dende, do you think you can revive the existing dragon balls? They're currently turned to stone, but I'm sure that would be easier to handle than having to create new ones from scratch."

"Huh? Oh, yes! If the current ones are still around, I just need a model of your dragon so I can revive them,"Dende explained.

As the others chimed in wonder about the kind of ritual Dende would have to perform, Sofia reined her temper in and knew she needed to take a breather, so she walked away from the group and headed for the archway around the palace steps where she knew a small, inner courtyard with a fountain was, and didn't realize Piccolo had tailed her.

Just as she took a cleansing exhale and stood in front of the fountain, she sensed Piccolo storm up behind her. When she pointedly ignored him and tried with all her might to keep her anger bottled down, he telepathically attempted, 'Sofia, I will not have you behaving petulantly in front of the others, so if we need to tal—'

'How _DARE_ you presume to come and lecture ME!' she bellowed over their rapport. Disarmed by her sudden psychic strength after days of barely being able to speak over their rapport, Piccolo was struck by her overwhelming and palpably turbulent response. Her psychic energy was such that she was not only telepathically shouting, but projecting her inner state as a furious astral form of herself enveloped in a fiery aura, her eyes blazing rancorously at him. 'Who the FUCK do you think you are to DEIGN telling me what to do—thinking I will be spoken to and treated like a useless _NOBODY_?!' The telepathic onslaught completely astounded Piccolo as he stood in the astral plane of their rapport and gaped at the furious Amazonian being that was radiating pure fury as she pointed at him and shouted, 'YOU ARE OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MIND TO THINK I WILL BOW TO YOUR DISRESPECTUL BULLSHIT AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! If you EVER disrespect me like that again—!'

'ENOUGH!' Piccolo roared back at her, having snapped out of his stupor.

In an instant, they were both just standing in the small courtyard again, glaring daggers at each other. The chatter from the others was off in the distance, and the sound of the water fountain was the only murmur around. Hands clenched into fists at his side, Piccolo was staring irately at her while she was glowing with a subtle, red aura, eyes blazing still.

'Listen to me. Whatever feelings you have towards me right now are not important enough to derail things. You and I will talk about it once we're done with Cell, and things go back to normal—' Piccolo's stern commentary was cut short when Sofia turned away from him.

'Who are you to tell me what's important?!' she hissed acrimoniously. 'You don't know ANYTHING that's supposed to happen, but yet bark orders at me and presume to lecture me on my involvement in events you have NO UNDERSTANDING of.'

Becoming enraged, Piccolo snapped, 'I'm so sorry I'm not from another realm where this world is just a trite entertainment franchise I glibly watched and know EVERYTHING about, but since you're so goddamned all-knowing, either actually contribute more than your reckless battle know-how or just stay the hell out of it!'

Turning slowly to stare at him over her shoulder, Piccolo expected a murderous look from her, but instead saw something that crushed his flaring anger and wrenched his heart.

"Fine."

In the blink of an eye, Sofia had sped out of his sight. Kami and Nail were shouting at him to run after her, but it wasn't until he heard, '—she's going to LEAVE—!' that he propelled himself to follow her. He caught sight of her at the palace entrance as she grabbed her backpack without stopping and headed into the magical edifice. Confused, he went after her, not realizing the others had paused in their convo to see him rush into the palace.

Confused, Gohan went over and followed, feeling a sudden worry resonate in his mind.

'Where the hell is she going?!' Piccolo shouted as he tried to follow after her through the halls of the sprawling palace.

'She's going to the mirror!' Kami shouted at him, and projected the memory of Sofia standing in the room where he'd stored her mirror years before.

"Sofia!" Piccolo shouted after her as he rounded the corner and saw the wide door to the room ajar. Speeding towards it, he entered just as she was stepping through the mirror's surface before disappearing. "No!" He ran to face the standing mirror's reflection and saw it calm and go dormant, only displaying his own bewildered, disarmed expression.

"Piccolo, what's going on?"

Turning to stare at the doorway, Piccolo saw Gohan's bemused look. When he didn't know what to respond, the pre-teen stared at the mirror he was in front of.

"Where's Sofia?"

* * *

"She's GONE?! What do you mean she's gone?!"

Piccolo winced as Goku hit an octave he'd never heard before. The Saiyan's turquoise eyes were perplexed while his facial expression was the combination of confused bewilderment.

"So wait – you're saying she went _back_ to her dimension, through some mirror?" Trunks inquired, flummoxed by the sudden turn of events. "I don't understand, why would she do that?!"

'Because Piccolo is a pigheaded MORON!' Nail shouted vehemently in frustration, as if anyone but Piccolo could hear him.

"Wait a minute, guys! Just because she went back doesn't mean she's gone for good, right?" Krillin reasoned, adding, "After all, she's done so much to help keep stuff from going completely off kilter from their intended sequence, so I doubt she won't come back."

Goku pouted as he hummed lamely at that. "Well, I guess you're right…but why would she—"

"I know she'll come back."

Everyone paused and looked over at Gohan, who had a reassuring look in his turquoise eyes as he looked at everyone else.

"Look, no matter what the reason, Sofia will be back. I know it," Gohan firmly declared. "In the meantime, we have to keep focused on the upcoming tournament against Cell, and with Dende here now, he can restore the dragon balls."

Proud of his son, Goku patted him affectionately on the shoulder. "Well said, Gohan. You're right. Let's worry about what we can control for now. Dende, with the model of Shenron Mr. Popo has, is that enough for you to restore the dragon balls? Oh – and can we get way more wishes too? That would sure come in handy!"

"Yeah! Can you make it so the dragon can grant three wishes, like the one on Namek?" Krillin inquired to the young Namekian.

Piccolo was thankful that Gohan managed to redirect the conversation to pressing concerns. "And while you're at it, can you make it so a single wish can resurrect multiple people at the same time? For example, wishing that all those killed by Cell can be brought back to life?" he suggested.

"Sure, but the total number of wishes would drop down to two," Dende responded, awing the others.

Once Mr. Popo retrieved his model of Shenron, Dende was able to begin his recitations in resurrecting the dragon and the magical orbs. While he did so, Piccolo found himself stewing again. He still couldn't shake the worry that he'd lost Sofia forever. As the others watched Dende undertake the ritual, the brooding warrior felt lonesome for the first time in years. It was a hollowing feeling that he only had himself to blame for. He felt suffocated by the thought of never seeing her again suddenly, and had to grapple with that panic in that moment just before the ritual was completed and the energy beams scattered across the Earth to revive each of the seven dragon balls.

"It's done. If everything went accordingly, the dragon balls should be ready to be used now," Dende declared, earning the other's cheers and astonishment.

'At least I get to see Dende being the selfless, kind Namekian I always knew he'd become. The Earth has found itself a noble guardian,' Nail mused proudly.

'He's already helped right my wrongs with the dragon balls and given the others the hope they need to face that monstrous Cell. Very well done,' Kami agreed, very pleased with his successor.

"Now that they're active again, it's probably a good idea to gather the dragon balls now so we have them when we need them. I'll go get the dragon radar from Bulma," Goku reasoned. "Since you're all set with your training, you can hang out up here with Dende," he mused to Gohan, who was surprised at the suggestion.

"Good idea, Goku! We'll chill up here and catch up," Krillin gave his friend a thumb's up.

"Sounds good! Oh, and when Sofia comes back, let me know," Goku remarked jovially, but before he could use Instant Transmission to disappear out of sight, Trunks stopped him.

"Wait, Goku. Can I ask you something? How're you so calm still about fighting Cell? Does he have a weakness you know about?" the long, lavender-haired demi-Saiyan inquired.

"Nope! I'm pretty sure he's practically invincible," he amiable retorted and flummoxed the blue-eyed fighter before comically waving and winking out of sight as he said, "See yah later!"

"…Well shit," Trunks huffed wryly, not sure what to make of the flippantness of the hero's demeanor. Turning to ask the others if they had any idea why Goku was so unworried about their prospects against Cell, Trunks didn't notice how Piccolo was only half listening to them.

Dende and Mr. Popo were so immersed in the conversation that they didn't pick up on the surly energy the brooding warrior was putting out until he declared suddenly, "Maybe Goku's already accepted defeat…or is just in dense-headed denial."

Everyone paused to absorb that, so when Piccolo turned and stalked off, they figured it was just his antisocial way of saying he was uninterested in doing anymore surmising of his former archrival's motives. In reality, he was creating physical and emotional distance from the chaos that had managed to monopolize his every waking moment for the last few days. His tenacious focus had caused him to neglect and alienate his twin star, and his rage was turning into a furious self-loathing he couldn't bare to duel with around others.

'What if she never comes back...'

Nail didn't know what to say to his stubborn counterpart. Kami, on the other hand, delicately mused, 'You just have to believe that she will, Piccolo.'

Unsure he could do anything else but brood, the Super Namekian turned his sights to the horizon ahead, and stared off until his mind was blank.

* * *

As soon as she stepped through the mirror, she instantly regretted her impulsive decision.

Standing in the room she barely recognized, Sofia realized she had no clue what she potentially just walked into after years of being in another dimension. Staring about the now vacant bedroom, she realized it was night, and the room was eerily lit from the lamppost light out on the street at the front of the house that filtered through the slightly ajar window blinds. All the posters, furniture and belongings that had been in her old bedroom were gone, only leaving the outline of where each had been on the walls or stood on the carpet. Stepping into the center of the room, she whirled around slowly and closed her eyes, using her senses to reach out and detect whether she'd alerted anyone else in the house of her return.

_I don't sense anyone…_ she thought to herself before gingerly approaching the door, which was slightly ajar. Peering out into the hall, she didn't hear or see any activity that indicated anyone was in the house. Walking out into the carpeted corridor, she glanced into the other bedrooms, and found them equally vacant. Nearing the staircase, she peered into the master bedroom and found errant boxes and what looked to be discarded bubble wrap strewn in the room. Blinking at that, she glanced down the staircase and noticed all the photos that used to be hung along the wall were gone. Just the outline of where they'd hung remained. Quickly descending to the first floor, she saw how the lower level was vacant of all furniture and appliances. On the kitchen counter were other discarded packing items, and she noticed a pink slip copy of what was a moving company's invoice. Heading over to read the paper, she noticed the signature and lingered on the 'move to' address listed. "Huh…they left the island," she murmured to herself before absently glancing at the French doors that led out to the patio. Going over and finding them locked, she unlocked one of the doors and went out onto the tiled patio. Frowning, she realized she had hoped to see Prince, but shook her head admonishingly at the ridiculous notion that the black and white dog would be waiting for her still.

Walking onto the grass, she saw the whole where she'd discovered her necklace years before was now covered; the sod was greener than the rest of the lawn around it. Kneeling down, she caressed the blades of grass and ruefully smiled, suddenly overwhelmed with a flood of memories.

"What the hell am I doing here," she whispered to herself as she glanced up at the night sky, staring up at the moon as it peeked out from behind dark clouds. "I can't go back now…but there's literally nothing here for me…"

Standing, she sighed, struggling to not let her despair swallow her up as she found herself alone in the place that represented the past she'd fought to let go of. Huffing at herself suddenly, she decided that instead of going down dark memory lane, she should take advantage of her abilities and see what she could do in this realm after years of honing her extraordinary powers. Levitating upwards, she smiled at the thought of being able to fly and see the world the way she'd always fantasized about when she was a kid. Ascending to hover in the sky, she glanced around and saw the neighborhood and others beyond dimly lit. Taking flight to jet across the night sky, she surveyed the island below as she flew around, tracing the coast before going higher and higher above the clouds. Bursting through the clouds with a laugh, she admired the glowing moon before she let herself descend like a skydiver back through the clouds before she propelled her ki to blast her across towards the horizon she saw bleed into darkness just beyond the lights of the island. "Hah! Let's do some globetrotting," she chimed to herself before blasting across the sky towards the east, flying at a breakneck speed that cleared her from the Caribbean and the Atlantic over the large continent of Africa in minutes. As she flew, the rays of the sun were creeping ahead of her along the horizon, and she chased them until she crossed the globe towards what looked like parts of Asia below. Smiling she did a couple of barrel rolls and drops as she laughed and flew gracefully in the air while being mindful not to let her ki leak into her aura and create a contrail.

"Wait! After all these years, I can finally check out Japan," she cackled as she now flew across a sunny sky filled with fluffy clouds around her. Dipping below the column of clouds ahead, she heard the rumble of something approaching before narrowly missing flying into a jumbo jet that was bustling past. Hovering and watching the plane jet by, she caught sight of one passenger looking out their window and balking at her. Cringing, she phased out to quickly descend out of airspace and was more careful with how she was coursing through the sky. Seeing a series of islands ahead, she flew towards them and scanned the terrain until she could see towns and cities come into focus the closer she got. "Oh wow," she gasped as she saw the sprawling cityscapes woven along the magnificent geography created by the archipelago. By the height of the sun, she could tell it was noon in the closest city below, so she phased out to land on the nearest skyscraper so she could get a better look at where she was.

The streets were bustling with vehicles and throngs of people below, and all the buildings were impressive monoliths along avenues, with parks, railways and shrines dotted throughout. It wasn't until she noticed the tall, red tower in the distance that she realized she was in Tokyo. "Cool!"

Descending down to a lower building, she used her agility to parkour across the urban landscape high above the streets below as she neared the center of the metropolis. As she zigzagged along the tops of buildings at a decent speed she knew the human eye would not be able to detect, she looked around in awe, admiring the sites and trying to guess just where in the city she was. _By the looks of my orientation and where Tokyo Tower is…I must be near Shibuya!_ She zipped along until she phased out to land in a crouch on top of a quaint looking train station. Glancing avidly about at the streets that intersect around the station, she noticed a circuitous district ahead of her that was practically bumping with activity. _Holy shit—Harajuku?!_

Smiling broadly, she realized she stumbled onto the iconic district that was filled with tourists, locals and otakus, renegades, edgy teens and shops bustling with everything kawaii. She was about to phase down to try and blend into a large crowd that was leaving the train station below when she picked up on angry shouts from the back of the building.

Peering over the ledge, she saw a group of teens heckling and hassling a kid, surrounding him as they shoved him and caustically jeered his outfit. He was gripping something in his hands for dear life, and they were obviously trying to snatch it from him.

"I told you to give me that pass, but if I gotta bash you into the ground for it, I will!"

"No! Just leave me alone—!"

The teen suddenly opened his eyes when he felt his personal space freed from the oppressive bullies that had circled him. Staring in shock as they each were scattered on the ground in bewildered shock, the teen barely realized there was a tall woman standing next to him until she barked, "Back off, jackasses!"

Getting up and dashing away, the group of teens ran off shouting, leaving the disarmed teen to stare in awe at her before blinking at her outfit. "… _Ehhh_?"

"Sorry! Just thought you needed help," she responded and smiled at him before turning to walk away.

"W-wait! How'd you do that?! I didn't even see _what_ you did to get those assholes off my back," the teen inquired passionately.

"Nothing! But I gotta go—" Sofia began to dismiss.

"Are you going to the convention too?"

"Convention?" she blinked at him, cocking her head at the question.

"Well, yeah! Your cosplay looks really awesome. Did you make it yourself?" the teen asked as he marveled at her outfit, and Sofia slowly realized she was still wearing her version of Saiyan battle wear. "The fabrication must've taken you months!"

"Uhhh…yeah," Sofia mused, taking the time to eye the teen more closely to realize his outfit was part of some kind of cosplay too. "Who're you supposed to be?"

"Oh c'mon, isn't it obvious?!" he protested and stomped his foot. "I'm Kamado Tanjiro! From Kimetsu no Yaiba?"

"…Haven't seen it," she genuinely shrugged, and earned a deflated reaction from the boy. "But hey! I've sorta not kept up with stuff for a while, so don't mind me."

"Well, I was heading to the convention, but that jerk's from my school. He's always bugging me, and had his douche friends follow him just to hassle me and try and take my pass," he held up the convention pass attached to the lanyard securely fastened around his neck. "It took me a whole year to save up for it!"

Leaning close to read the pass, Sofia's eyes went wide. "Whoa, Anime Japan?! Nice!"

"Right?!" the teen smirked, before inquiring, "But aren't you going? Or is this Harajuku cosplay just for the hell of it?"

"Uh, well—"

"Yuuto! What the hell, man!"

Both turning, Sofia saw as a group of teens in wild outfits rushed over to them. "We're going to miss the train! We've been waiting on yah," one teen styled with fake freckles, wearing a green bodysuit and green-styled hair frowned at the boy next to her.

"Sorry! Reo was hasslin' me again," the Tanjiro cosplayer muttered. "Anyway, let's head out—wait, where's Kenjiro?"

"He got grounded, dude!" another boy wearing a white-haired wig and black facemask that obscured his features from his nose down exclaimed. "His parents went mental on him for flunking that last chem test, so he's stuck at home. He gave us his pass. You should've seen him, tears in his eyes—"

"Ugh, can we go?! We're going to blow seeing the main panels, and I'm not going to miss out on the bonanza contest!" the female friend dressed as what she was guessing was some version of a Naruto character barked at the others, before noticing her and raising a judgmental brow. "Who's this?!"

"Oh, that's right, I didn't even catch your name," the Tanjiro cosplayer, Yuuto, mused as he stared up at her.

"She's hella tall for a chick," the first friend whispered over to the white-haired teen.

"It's cool, it sounds like you gotta go to the convention ASAP, dude. I'll just head out—" Sofia began jovially, gesturing aloofly for him to go about his way.

"Sorata, didn't you say Kenjiro gave you his pass?"

"Uh, yeah," the teen held up the prized lanyard with the laminated badge hanging off of it.

"Hey, if you're not doing anything, why not come along with us to the convention? You can use this pass to get in," Yuuto declared, snatching the pass out of his balking friend's hand and offering it to Sofia. "I mean, I don't think your DBZ cosplay is retro enough to be cool for Harajuku," he quipped, earning Sofia's startled expression.

"That's really sweet, but I…I don't have cash for the train ride there."

"I can cover you! It's the least I can do for saving my ass earlier," Yuuto offered, eyes exuberantly staring almost into her soul as he shoved the pass into her hands. "C'mon, let's go before the next train takes off!"

* * *

"So, how long did it take you to fabricate the Saiyan armor?!"

"And where'd you get your contact lenses? They're super-realistic!"

"And what's your cosplay? Some DBZ OC from one of the RPG's?"

"Uhhh," Sofia's head was spinning from all the questions each teen hammered her with as they walked towards the convention center, pass around her neck and her trusty backpack securely fastened to her back as she slightly towered over them and earned stares from other groups in the crowd around the plaza. "The armor I made in one day, the lenses I ordered special, and…sure," she answered carefully as she smiled sheepishly.

"Ooo, and the teeth?! Those fangs are the best I've seen!" the green-haired boy inquired, marveling at her. "Are you an exchange student or something? Your Japanese is flawless—!"

"Dude, that's rude," Yuuto huffed.

"What?! It's just a question."

"Thanks," Sofia snickered before glancing at the other girl, who was staring down at her phone. Impressed, she glanced over her shoulder and catalogued how advanced the mobile device was. "What's that?"

"I'm checking the hashtag for the contest. It looks like teams are already posting stuff!" she grumbled, shooting the boys a glare as she drawled, "I told you guys I would tag along if we participated in the contest, and we just blew most of the day away!"

"What contest?" Sofia inquired as they entered the admissions line and waited their turn to go through security.

"The organizers did a huge sponsorship and are giving away hella-crazy prizes for the team with the most Likes using the festival hashtag! The team with the most Likes nominates 1 member to run the gauntlet of prizes, where you can take home as much as you can carry from all the sponsor swag you can get your hands on and cross the finish line under 5 minutes," Sorata explained, eyes twinkling as he whispered, "I need to get me a big, flat screen monitor for my gaming~!"

"Dude, you can barely do a sit up, and you're going to walk out of there with a flat screen under your arm?" the green-haired teen muttered, earning a frown from the boy.

"So what're the rules? You just post stuff?" Sofia inquired again, eyeing the crowd and seeing cosplay she actually recognized. "Wow, that's a sick Sephiroth…"

"Oh, THAT cosplay you know," Yuuto pouted goofily at her.

"Hell yeah. Don't judge me for being old school," Sofia grinned.

"The point is to do the most zany, viral stuff and post it using the hashtag. It can be anything as long as it's not raunchy or gross," the girl, Hamiko, replied, adjusting her Konoha headband after they cleared security.

As they continued to explain the premise of the contest to Sofia, they entered the massive and sprawling convention center. It was wall-to-wall exhibits, booths, people, and screens displaying anything and everything anime.

Yuuto pointed his fabricated black nichirin sword over at a group of cosplayers doing goofy dances in front of a booth. "See? They're uploading that Boomerang, and if it gets tons of Likes, they can qualify for the main event!"

"Huh…so, as long as it's something 'viral', we'll qualify?" Sofia pondered, not noticing the leers a group of older cosplayers were giving her thanks to her formfitting Saiyan bodysuit.

"Yeah!" the boys shouted in unison while Hamiko rolled her eyes and nodded along.

"Hmmm, alright then…"

* * *

Staring in flummoxed awe at her phone, Hamiko and the others gaped as they watched all their uploads surge in views and Likes while Sofia chatted congenially with an Ichigo cosplayer just behind them.

"Holy shit, dude. We're…gonna qualify?!" Togarashi, the Deku cosplayer, wheezed out in a breathy pitch.

Scrolling through each upload, they watched as Sofia's impressive stunts and fanciful encounters with other cosplayers she turned into iconic gags and loops managed to propel their team to the top of the leaderboard, which was displaying along the main screen in the center.

"So? Are those good?" Sofia asked as she wandered back over to them and peered over their shoulders.

"Good? We're NUMBER 3 on the leaderboard!" Yuuto exclaimed and stared at her when she glanced up at the board and hummed, as if it was a quaint notion. "We have 10 more minutes before the submission period closes!"

"Alright, so one more?" she grinned, and looked around the room. "Oh, how about I do that obstacle course and do the Floss, then the Benny Whip before going into a breakdance at the top of the buzzard board?" Sofia propositioned as she pantomimed her plan out for them.

Staring at her as if she was insane, the teens looked at each other before Yuuto said, "One of us will have to run the course with you to get the shot."

"Yeah, but just make sure you get to that spot, and you're golden. I'll get to the top, so all you gotta do is time it right," Sofia explained simply before clapping her hands and declaring, "Alright, c'mon!" and running towards the course.

"…Can it really be that simple?!" Sorata inquired, incredulous.

Grabbing Hamiko's phone, Yuuto declared, "Only one way to find out!"

* * *

The entire convention center went wild when she spun in her breakdance to freeze in a one-handed handstand before she flashed the peace sign with her free hand. Yuuto's jaw was still dropped as he continued to record her flipping back onto her feet and pose as she dramatically hit the buzzard of the obstacle course, while the other runners clamored at the bottom, in shock.

Staring down at the screen, Yuuto quickly typed in the hashtag and uploaded the video.

"That should do the trick!" Sofia assured, startling him to jump and look over his shoulder at her appearing so quickly at his side.

"Y-yeah! How did you do that?! Where'd you learn—?"

"YUUTO! Look!" Togarashi shouted vehemently from the sidelines and pointed at the screen.

With 2 minutes to go, their team account had bumped to second place before zooming to the top of the leaderboard and flashing brightly.

"The Shibuya Soba Crew are #1!" the announcer shouted exuberantly over the speakers, heralding shouts and cheers to go up all around them.

"Holy shit…" Yuuto gasped as the others swarmed around him and Sofia, shouting and losing their minds with excitement.

Staring up at her, he was at a loss for words, so she winked at him and chimed, "Now, let me run the gauntlet. Just be sure to give me a list of all the stuff you want me to grab, cool?"

* * *

Sofia nodded sagaciously as the event staff explained the rules while she filled out her release form, allowing them to stream her bonanza gauntlet prize run and absolving them of injury liability while the others stood on next to the event announcer and watched on. She'd memorized a list of all the offerings each of her teammates requested after they showed her the catalogue of sponsor prize donations. With just 5 minutes to run the prize room course, she had to follow a prescribed pattern in the room, running it clockwise and not backtracking sections of swag. If she dropped anything, it was forfeit and she'd have to wait until the next pass to grab the item again.

Most of the prizes were the latest in tech and media, and by definition, heavy and packaged items that most would not be able to double up on, let alone carry to the end of the course. There were a few items she'd spotted on the catalogue that she'd totally wanted for herself, but figured she'd concentrate on grabbing all the prizes she could for the others.

"Here we go! #RedEyes is about to run the course, and with just 5 minutes, does she stand a chance of taking home the top swag items in the bunch?! Let's find out!" the announcer hyped up as the camera feeds went live, streaming video of her and the radius of the sprawling prize-filled room. Everything was arranged along a loop, with the finish line being the same as the starting line. "Can the Shibuya Soba Crew walk away with the glory? It's all on you, Red-eyes!"

Sofia snickered at her nickname as she got in place at the starting line.

"There's no way she can pick up the amount of stuff we asked for in 5 minutes. You guys are being jerks," Hamiko huffed at her friends as she held up her camera phone and hit record, hoping to capture the run for her blog.

"Uh, you're the one who cares the most about this damned contest, so why don't you just cheer her on! I'll be happy to walk away with an external drive," Sorata grumbled while Yuuto and Togarashi nodded along.

"Whatever," Hamiko mused and hushed them as the lights overhead began to blink, initiating the countdown.

As soon as the light flashed 'Go!' Sofia was in the sprawling hall. The cameras weren't quick enough to capture her advance, but by the time she was at the top of the loop, she had items under each arm. The officials were scrambling to keep up with her on the monitors, but had managed to focus the streaming camera on her as she walked across the finish line with boxes of gadgets propped under her arms, and it'd only been 25 seconds. Balking, they watched as she placed the haul on her designated drop off table before she turned and ran back into the hall. She did 6 more trips through the gauntlet before the first minute was up, and each time she had a bounty of items that should've been too heavy and bulky for one person to carry, let alone to stock up on and haul with ease.

"HOLY SHIT!" Sorata and Togarashi shouted in unison while Hamiko recorded and gaped. Yuuto's jaw hung open as he watched Sofia waltz to the finish line again, with a stack of flat screen TV's and computer monitor boxes balanced in each arm. She had yet to drop a single item due to weight or haste.

The judges and event organizers were scrambling to keep track and validate her run. Looking up at the clock, she realized she had a minute and a half left, so she hustled back through and picked up even more items, the bulk of which were things she'd wanted and some gifts she planned to take back with her. The most coveted items in the bunch were the external hard drive pre-loaded with Terabytes of music and media, the latest model mobile devices, and the bundle pack sound system, equipped with latest generation mp4 player. Snatching each up with ease, she juggled them seamlessly in her grasp as she picked up more bonus items before crossing the finish line just as the light flashed red and the siren blared overhead.

"SHE DID IT!"

Sofia flinched as a raucous cheer roared through the building and everyone seemed to lose their minds with excitement. Her team rushed her and practically tackled her with joy and exuberance at the ridiculously impressive showing while the judges and event sponsors freaked out in the corner.

Once the promoter had begrudgingly squared away all arrangements to transport and deliver the insane abundance of prizes the team divvied up, Sofia was left with a decent haul of her own that she'd managed to store away after the others preoccupied the officials with their delivery info, allowing her to sneak off to a green room and encapsulate all the items she'd picked up for her portion of the prize bounty.

The food sponsors hustled them into another room where they were treated with all sorts of goodies and snacks, all to Sofia's delight. As she helped herself to takoyaki and ramune, she and the team posed for sponsor photo-ops and did mini interviews to be streamed throughout the festival. Once the press calmed down, Sofia had Yuuto and Hamiko show her how to load her first-ever iPod, and she was overjoyed to scroll through the music library of literally thousands of songs, both old and new. They were amazed at her excitement about getting what they considered the tamest prize in the bunch, but kept it to themselves even when she opted to use the standard corded headphones instead of the latest model cordless airpods.

"This is the best day of my life!" Togarashi yelled fanatically as he bounced around, cheering along the steps around the others.

Shaking his head at his rambunctious friend, Yuuto chimed, "Safe to say, we're gonna be the talk of school next week."

"Who cares! We got all the swag~!" Sorata celebrated and shook Hamiko playfully. "Best blog content ever, right!?"

"YES! I just posted it, and it's already trending," Hamiko smiled beamingly.

Sofia laughed before she took a long sip of the bubble tea from the food sponsor smorgasbord earlier. "Ah, well I had tons of fun. I'd totally intended to just wander around today—check out all the spots I'd read about and researched back in the day, but this definitely was a cooler way to spend the day," she mused genuinely.

"Who knew I'd be glad to have gotten hassled, otherwise none of this would've worked out," Yuuto chuckled.

Sitting on the steps of the plaza, they chatted for a bit more before each teen had to head home. When Yuuto and Sofia were left to say their goodbyes, the teen offered to pay for her ride back on the train, but she politely declined. When he pushed for them to exchange phone numbers, she smiled sadly and explained, "I don't live here, dude. I actually left home abruptly and don't have a place to stay. It was great to have the distraction, but hanging out with you guys made me remember everything I left behind, so I'm gonna leave and head back as soon as I can."

"I figured you were dealing with something, but didn't want to pry. I get it, though," the cosplayer smiled and bowed in farewell as he said, "It was awesome meeting you! Thanks for dominating the contest for us!"

"Hah, anytime, dude," she bowed and smiled. Waving as she walked away, Sofia used the throngs of traffic to fade out of sight.

* * *

Once she'd touched down on the dewy grass of the backyard, she felt a sense of exhaustion and anxiety hit her at the same time. Dawn was quickly approaching, meaning she'd spent a lot of hours away, which she knew converted to being days gone back at home.

"Home." She focused on the notion, and realized that yes, that was her home. It had been her place of refuge and belonging for a long time, and the sudden ache in her heart caused by her mind flashing to all the most cherished moments she'd experienced back home inundated her then. Wiping the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand, she rushed up to the patio and into the house. Making sure to lock the door behind herself, she raced up to the second floor of the vacant house and went back into the bedroom where the sliding door mirror was waiting for her. Before she could even think of mustering up the preternatural ability of summoning the mirror to change, she caught a quick glance of her glowing red irises in the reflection. The surface began to ripple and gleam at her before reverberating to reveal the other dimension just beyond it.

Taking a sobering breath, she hopped through the mirror's surface and appeared on the opposite side, back in her home dimension.

The room she was in was dark and only had the standing mirror in its center. Turning, she watched as the surface went dormant, only reflecting her image and surroundings now.

Exhaling, she contemplated her reflection, and with a snap of her fingers, conjured a brand new outfit for herself before she swung her backpack strap loose from one shoulder and posed.

_He's our twin star, but he doesn't deserve our forgiveness…_

The thought caught her off-guard for some reason, so she shook her head and tried to clear her mind of any anger.

_*—since you're so goddamned all-knowing, either actually contribute more than your reckless battle know-how or just stay the hell out of it!*_

The reminder of the last thing Piccolo said to her flashed across her mind like a solar eclipse and reverberated resolutely within her.

"Tch!" she gritted her teeth and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind herself.

* * *

"Kakarot is still idling around looking for the damned dragon balls?!"

"Yes."

"And you're all just what – standing around being even more useless than usual?"

Piccolo's temper vein was beginning to get defined at his temple as he continued to try and ignore the pompous, exasperating Saiyan.

"C'mon, Vegeta! There's plenty of time until the tournament, and my Dad will get all the dragon balls collected before then. No need to be edgy—" Gohan attempted to interject jovially as he stood between the former villains-turned-allies.

Vegeta cut the demi-Saiyan's retort short by giving him a measured glare and grunting low in his throat before snapping, "I wasn't talking to you, brat! Don't think we're equals just because you've become a Super Saiyan."

Dende and Krillin were watching on from the center of the courtyard, where they'd been camping out the last few days. After the mercurial prince had exited the Hyperbolic Time Chamber and his son from the future had gone in for his last turn, Vegeta had been absolutely insufferable. Not that the former monk would ever have the guts to say as such to the other fighter.

"Why don't you go be insufferable somewhere else, Vegeta. You look as bad as your goddamned temper. Not to mention smell worse than that," Piccolo suddenly shot in a dark, laconic tone over at the shorter man, crossing his arms and staring down at him for good measure.

Vegeta actually sputtered for a moment before his features darkened with dangerous outrage and his eyes blazed for a moment before he suddenly glanced around Piccolo towards the entrance of the palace. Piccolo was confused for a second, especially when the pompous prince's expression went from livid to smug so suddenly.

"Well, look who wandered on back," Vegeta grunted in a drawl.

Turning, Piccolo locked eyes on Sofia, who'd just emerged from the entrance of the majestic palace after days of being gone through the mirror.

"Sofia!" Gohan shouted and ran over to her. "Whoa, nice threads!"

"Hah, thanks! Harajuku street wear don't look half bad on me, huh?" Sofia joked and did a silly spin for her friend.

"No idea what that is, but sure! Why'd you take off though?" Gohan earnestly inquired, his still-turquoise eyes wide and guileless.

"Hey Sofia! Nice to have you back," Krillin remarked as he and Dende walked over. "And dare I say, not a minute too soon. Your arrival just diffused a possible skirmish between those two," the shorter man conspiratorially muttered to her and gestured towards Vegeta and Piccolo.

"Oh, is that a fact?" she snickered dryly as she glanced over at Vegeta, ignoring Piccolo completely. "How long has he been out of the time chamber?"

"A day. Trunks should be coming out himself soon," Gohan replied. "There's still four and a half days until the tournament, so everyone's kind of getting rowdy, I guess," he remarked to her, earning a nervous laugh from Krillin.

As they continued to chat, Vegeta grunted with amusement as he muttered, loud enough for Piccolo to hear, "She certainly doesn't disappoint, I will give her that. Perhaps the boy will have time before the tournament to seal the deal…" and loped away casually, leaving the Namekian to stew and let his jealousy clamor for supremacy in his mind to fixate on just what the damned Badman meant by that.

"—I'll tell you all about it later," she'd assured Gohan when he inquired on why she'd left.

"So you ran back to your dimension and all you brought back is that lousy outfit, stealth?"

Sofia glanced over at the owner of the gruff, snarky drawl and caught Vegeta's goading smirk. "So says the dude who's been wearing the same busted outfit I last saw him in days ago. Wait—that you wore into the chamber, so you've had the same outfit on for a year!" she playfully grimaced before adding, "I wouldn't expect you to appreciate fashion, but if you must know, I brought tons of goodies back with me, and none are for you," she chortled sardonically before comically sticking her tongue out at him.

Vegeta was about to shoot an acerbic retort back before his attention was pulled to the massive power level that had just exited the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Everyone also turned to admire the awesome ki signature.

"Whoa, Trunks really got strong this time around!" Krillin chimed as Dende hummed in awe.

"Nice. So we're still on track, pretty much. Good," Sofia remarked as she waltzed past the group as she continued, "You all just gonna stay up here until the day of the Cell Games?"

"Cell Games?" Gohan raised a golden brow at the moniker.

"Oh, yeah, that's what he'll end up calling the tournament," Sofia explained, catching Vegeta's pinched reaction. "Cell doesn't have much imagination. He didn't inherit that from your genetics, it would seem."

"A backhanded compliment, eh?" Vegeta grunted aloofly, crossing his arms over his damaged armored chestplate and straining his dingy bodysuit that was struggling to contain his brawny physique.

"Oh, you love it," Sofia purred in a silly voice and gave him an impish grin. "But seriously, are you just gonna stay up here for the next four days? Cuz I sure as hell ain't. We can meet up here day of the tournament, but there's no point in loitering up here until then, so I'm heading out—"

"You're quite carefree after gallivanting off. So what, we shouldn't stay on guard?" Vegeta cut in, eyeing her questioningly.

Rolling her eyes, she half shrugged and leaned her weight on one hip as she made an aloof gesture with her hands. "Do whatever the hell you want. I'm through telling you guys anything, but hanging around up here for a day while your clothes struggle to fit you ain't my idea of a party, unless you're into that sorta thing," she derisively wrinkled her nose puckishly at him.

Instead of taking umbrage, Vegeta scoffed with amusement at that. "You presume to know the kind of things I'm into," he groused with a wicked edge to his tone, one that unnerved the others, but amused Sofia.

"It ain't presumption when I literally _know_ you, Vegeta. There's probably nothing you could do or say that would surprise me, and it sure wouldn't scare me, so why not admit we're just too bad ass for our own good, which means we're gonna be the bestest of buds!" Sofia declared jovially and with charisma after suddenly phasing in close to the mercurial fighter and leaning platonically against his back, with her elbows propped over each of his shoulders as she tilted sideways to grin mischievously at him.

The others face-faulted at the odd display, especially when Vegeta's only response was to scoff in acerbic humor at her brazen and fearless encroachment of his boundaries. "And they say _I'm_ the insufferable one," he chuckled bitingly after she phased away from his personal space and gave him her most winning, fangy smile.

Unbeknownst to them, Trunks was watching the quirky display from the alcove window of the staircase that led up to the walkway of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Seeing Sofia after the year he'd spent training, the blue-eyed fighter recognized now that he was smitten with her. Now if he could only muster up the courage to act on it—

"You should go by the house," Trunks heard Gohan suggest to Sofia once he perked up as he remembered his father telling him to let him know once she'd returned. "Dad's out looking for the dragon balls still, but it'll be great to take a break and spend time—"

"That's ok, bud. Your dad's busy, and we can hang out some other time," Sofia interjected gingerly as she ruffled his golden-transformed hair affectionately. "I actually got some stuff I want to drop off at Capsule Corp, but maybe I'll swing by Mt. Paozu tomorrow, cool?"

"Uh, sure. That's cool," Gohan replied, cataloguing Sofia's demeanor towards the subject for reflection later.

"Come off it, stealth. Are you saying we shouldn't train in the interim, or just that you plan on idling around like the rest?" Vegeta inquired in a gruff tone, eyeing her skeptically.

From the distance, Piccolo watched and heard the conversations. He wanted to avoid any torrid displays of anger and resentment between he and his twin star in front of the others, but also was listening in for the right moment to reach out to her and hash out their differences. Seeing her look so unruffled and confident was a perplexing mix of attraction and bewilderment, for some reason. Wearing a formfitting long-sleeved black peplum top with a peek-a-boo mesh panel that showed off a tease of her midriff and hood that dangled backwards from the square-shaped collar, a distressed acid-blue pair of perfectly tailored joggers with fit and flare in all the right places while showing a hint of ankle thanks to the cuffed pant legs, and black high-top Vans sneakers with the iconic white stripe along the side, she stood out from their group even more than usual. He watched her adjust her backpack from her shoulders and begin to walk towards him while the others offered their "see you laters!"

"I'm telling you, Vegeta, if you're gonna stay up here just to spite me I'm gonna take advantage and try out your Gravity Simulator," Sofia shot over her shoulder at the Saiyan, who barked a laugh at her audacity.

"They'll know not to let the likes of you mess with such advanced equipment, stealth," he dismissively chuckled and turned to see his future son finally lope out of the palace entrance and out to the front steps. _Don't disappoint me, boy!_

Piccolo's heart was beating fast, for some reason, as she approached his general direction. He was standing near the outer circumference of the Lookout's edge and she seemed to be staring in his direction, but through him. He inwardly gulped, wondering if she was just playing it cool for his sake in front of the others or if she was truly pissed at him still.

"Sofia!"

Pausing, she turned and was surprised to see Trunks rush over to her.

"You're back! I'm glad," the handsome demi-Saiyan remarked in a tense exhale as he fumbled with something in his glove-clad hands.

"Whoa, Trunks! Your power level is _serious_ stuff now. I didn't think you could even get stronger than the last time, but this blows your strength from before completely out of the water," she chimed and smiled at him, taking in his more defined features now and even longer length of lavender hair as the soft strands lingered down his shoulders to graze mid-bicep. His Saiyan armor and bodysuit were equally as battered and well worn as his father's, clinging to his muscular form that seemed even more chiseled than before.

"Heh, thanks. Oh," he remembered what was in his hands and offered it to her. "Here, I'm not sure if I was able to fix it totally, but, I put all the pieces back together."

Trunks placed her once-damaged Walkman CD player in her hands, leaving her startled and speechless as she stared down at her old tech possession. "Oh my god, it's just like it was before," she marveled as she opened up the case and comically flipped it to different angles as she appraised it before pulling her backpack to the side and digging out her old headphones. Plugging them into the player and hitting the 'On' button, the music laboriously came to life before steadying to a normal playing ratio. "This is amazing! I can't believe you where able to fix this!" she beamed and smiled ear to ear for the first time in a long time. At least that's what Piccolo realized as he watched her smile widen and her eyes crest with effervescent joy before she suddenly pulled Trunks in for a one-armed hug, disarming the usually bashful fighter. "Thank you so much! This is the most epic thing ever!"

Piccolo's seething jealousy began to grind through his stoic demeanor as he cleared his throat authoritatively, stirring Trunks to remember how protective the fighter was of his former pupil and pull away rapidly from the hug while a confused Sofia shot an aloof glare over her shoulder at her twin star, letting her gaze linger on his in stark focus for the first time since her return.

"Anyway, thanks, for real. This is one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me," Sofia continued as she glanced away from Piccolo and addressed Trunks again. "I told the others they don't have to hang around up here until the tournament, so if you get bored, head to Capsule Corp and spend some quality time with your mom and grandparents, got it?" she glibly instructed as she punched him platonically on the shoulder and playfully winced as she shook her hand, impressed with his dense muscle mass.

"Hah, that doesn't sound like a bad idea. I just might do that," he smiled.

"Good!" Sofia declared after putting her fixed CD player and headphones into her backpack and securing it over both shoulders before offering him a parting wave and waltzing closer towards Piccolo and the edge of the Lookout.

Now was finally his chance to talk to her and hopefully not rouse her ire or any attention from the others.

'Sofia, look, I'm—'

The irises of her eyes flashed garnet at his telepathic attempt as she slid them furiously at him, and suddenly he felt a reverberating field sever their rapport entirely as she put up her psychic guard against him. The force by which she repelled his telepathy stunned him enough to just end up watching her breeze past him before she leapt off the Lookout's edge and blasted at full speed across the blue sky. The finality of her rejection was like a shock to the system for him.

Trunks had long backtracked to chat with the others, so Piccolo vacantly assumed he at least was spared their attention as he turned to face the horizon ahead, feeling hollow and numb suddenly.

'…She said she would never do that…'

Nail sighed, while Kami tried to be the voice of reason. 'She's upset, Piccolo. Perhaps some space is what she needs—'

'She was gone for days in a completely different dimension. Wasn't that enough space?' he argued, but the anger didn't reach him completely. 'I screwed up…'

'You did, and you have time to make it right with her,' Nail attempted. 'She holds grudges, sure, but there's nothing like an apology to settle her ire.'

'She did tell Gohan about stopping by Mt. Paozu tomorrow,' Kami mused. 'That might be the right time to speak to her.'

Grunting, Piccolo let his gaze get unfocused and faraway as a sense of stoic calm came over him, grasping at that strand of hope, straining not to lose it.


	11. Disquieting Friction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there's more angst, some resentment, and some strong convos about anger and death in this chapter. But for all the hurt, it'll be repaid with comfort soon, I swear! Also, I reference music a lot throughout the story, so if anyone is curious on what songs inspired the references, let me know if you'd like me to share a list!

"Speech" 'Telepathy' _Thought_

As soon as she was far enough away from the Lookout, she'd skidded in mid air and laced her nails through her scalp in a bout of exasperated ire. The anger she felt was throbbing at her temples and her mind was a tempest of unruly thoughts as she tried to rein herself in. The wind was whipping around her as she closed her eyes and tried to take in a calming breath to quiet her furious mind. She dimly realized she was shaking with anxiety as her thoughts kept hammering over and over on the subject of Piccolo.

— _He does not deserve your forgiveness—_

Shaking her head at that, she snarled and whipped her backpack over in order to dig into it. Fishing out her new iPod and wired earbuds, she put them on and activated the mp4 player and just blindly played whatever she'd landed on after scrolling her thumb quickly over the touch-based dial. As soon as the music came through the earbuds, she took another sobering breath and closed her eyes, letting the music wash over her and distract her from her warring thoughts until they finally subsided.

Placing the iPod in her jogger's pocket, she zipped up her backpack and flung it over her shoulders again. Exhaling a cleansing breath, she let her eyes focus on the world around her as her mind regained calm and her emotions receded. The staccato of her pulse evened out, and her mind filtered out the cacophony of thoughts, finally. Reaching out with her senses, she honed in on the unique power signatures she'd been debating reaching out to, and once she'd pinged onto each, she now decided on which she should pursue first.

Her mind's eye flashed to the battlefield from days before, and Sofia found herself turning in the direction of the specific power level. Gliding in that direction, she decided she could take the detour from Capsule Corp to help settle her mind on the particular matter that had been tugging on her for attention for a while.

Flying towards the dusky horizon, she blasted off into the clear airspace beyond.

* * *

The terrain was still battered from the previous airstrike, but the grounds around the ring were intact and lush. The air was growing crisp with the approaching nightfall, and he could already hear the chirp of crickets far off in the distance over the hill from the meadows miles away.

Standing in the ring with his arms crossed, Cell was staring off into a particular spot, wondering yet again why he'd given them the 10 days. He was absolutely bored and didn't feel like going back up to the stratosphere to blow space dust around, nor did he feel inclined to cause havoc. He'd stoked enough fear, for the time being, but he definitely regretted scheduling his tournament so far out. The breeze drafted down from the hills and across his ring, stirring his attention before he actually sensed her presence.

Magenta irises sliding sidelong, Cell hummed with intrigue. "Well, nice to see you survived. I was curious how you'd faired these last few days," the bioengineered Android muttered haughtily.

Sofia was standing at the edge of the ring, admiring one of the oddly shaped pillars. The breeze caused her peplum to flutter upwards and expose her lithe lower back minutely as she glanced upwards on the point of the pillar. "I've been fine," she chimed in an eerie tone, turning to glance at him sideways. She had one earbud out and the other still in one ear, listening to a particular song on low volume as she brushed her fluttering long bang behind her ear. "I gotta say: this ring looks way cooler in person. Very minimalist," she mused as she placed her hands in her jogger pockets and loped along the perimeter of the tiled ring.

Grunting, Cell smirked. "I still owe you for that surprising little stunt you pulled last time. If you beg my forgiveness though, I might let the transgression slide," he declared cockily as he watched her lope from one corner of the ring to the other without crossing too close to where he was standing.

Sofia was still surveying the ring thoughtfully as she stopped and seemed to ponder his comment.

"Was it me?"

Cell's smirk became a perturbed scowl. "What?"

Turning to stare sincerely at him, her narrowed eyes softened with genuine bewilderment when she repeated, "Was it really me? When you got blasted…was it me who did it?"

Cocking a brow ridge suspiciously at her, Cell dropped his arms to his sides and approached her. The clenching metal gear sound of his paces echoed in the valley as he walked over and stopped when he came to loom over her and stare down with a menacing glare. "I'm not in the mood for another of your ruses, girl. You know DAMN WELL you retaliated against my attack, and I'd like to know _how_ you managed the power to do it!" Cell barked down at her, hands on his hips as he stood imposingly over her and prepared to get the answers he wanted one way or another.

Sofia stared up at him through her long, dark lashes, disarming him when she placed the palm of her hand flat against his chest, over the black central chestplate of his armor-like pectorals. Staring down incredulously at her hand before focusing on her crimson eyes, Cell was flummoxed for a split second, allowing her to close her eyes and focus on her muddled recollection of the end of their battle. She used her psychic abilities to reconstruct the events of the battle from Cell's point of view, and saw herself, bloodied and seething with power, at the moment she unleashed her attack. Opening her eyes, she blinked up at him, but kept her hand on the Android's chest as she mused, "Oh, yeah—that definitely was me. I don't remember all that though."

Recoiling now from the odd woman, Cell grabbed her wrist and squeezed, his grip like a vice. "What would possess you to think you could put your hands on me—?!" he balefully grumbled before Sofia managed some kind of maneuver to slip her wrist out of his grip to instead tactically grab his forearm and swing herself up and onto his shoulders. Sitting on him like a perch and pinning her feet along his sides – tucked under his armpits, she leaned to peer at him upside down, and stared openly into his eyes.

"I'm not trying to start a fight with you, Cell. At least not right now," she murmured pensively at him. "Just consider it me being mystified by your sheer perfection." She phased out and appeared back across from him at the edge of the ring. "After all, in the heat of the battle, I didn't really get a chance to appreciate it," she mused and shrugged as she reached into her pocket and fished out the iPod, scrolling through it to find another album she was interested in listening to. Blinking at her, Cell realized he hadn't felt so beguiled by her since he'd been semi-perfect. After she hit play and returned the iPod to her pocket, she idly bopped her body in rhythm with the music he couldn't hear and smiled at him. "Look, I'm sorry about the other day. You _did_ try to kill me though, so lets consider it a draw. Cool?" She proposed and flashed him the peace sign.

"…" Cell glared at her, unnerved by how unthreatened she was by him. Eyeing her more sharply, he realized maybe this was just another eerie tactic of hers, and scoffed. "Why the hell did you come here, really?" he demanded, his usually regal tone caustic now.

"I told you: to get a closer look at your perfection and ask you if it was really I who blasted you. I don't remember it at all—might've been some kind of fugue state or something, but hell, I don't see why I wouldn't be able to remember it for myself," she replied simply and loped over closer to him as she added, "Oh, and to tell you I plan on fighting in your tournament. A serious fight too, where you and I go all out without me doing it to stall or distract you from skulking around," she pantomimed his version of skulking and posed goofily, wiggling her black pointed-fingernails at him.

Narrowing his eyes at that, he gave her a cunning smirk as he mused, "You? Fight me seriously. Don't make me laugh."

"Ah, c'mon! Give me some credit," she snickered at him. "I know I'm not Goku, but you can spare a fight with me, can't you?"

Scoffing derisively, Cell crossed his arms confidently. "It's a free tournament. I won't stop you from trying to join in," he chuckled. "But it won't be fun and games, girl. You fight me seriously, or I'll kill all your friends for wasting my time and trying my patience," he hissed dangerously, magenta eyes twinkling at her.

Sofia pursed her lips at him and nodded. "Sure!"

Scowling at her, he grumbled, "You're so goddamned weird."

"I know," she sing sung and did a little twirl before moonwalking towards his side and chiming, "C'mon, you know you were bored just standing here all by yourself."

Pressing his lips together into a thin line, Cell narrowed his gaze pompously at her. "…I shouldn't have allowed a 10-day lead up to the tournament. There's positively nothing to do to kill time. I was being too magnanimous," he grumbled in a dry tone and huffed, crossed arms tightening while he surveyed the area as night was advancing.

"I know! I figured it was for dramatic effect, but I'd be bored to tears just standing around," Sofia chuckled and grinned when he glowered at her. "Hey, if you need to kill time, did you ever consider putting some concession stands over there? Oh! What about doing an opening ceremony?" she envisioned out loud and comically acted out her suggestions for him before pretending to stand in the middle of the ring and pose and wave at the non-existent spectating masses.

"No. It'll be a tournament for warriors, not some silly spectacle," Cell grumbled disdainfully at her, putting on airs that reminded her of Vegeta. "It's bad enough I have idiotic reporters coming around to bother me—"

"Hah. Well then why did you even announce the Cell Games on worldwide TV if you didn't want the media and fanfare?" she asked him, hands on her hips as she playfully rolled her eyes. "You want to battle the greatest fighters around and decimate them for everyone on Earth to see live, right? Can't do that without hyping it up," she platonically reasoned with him as she took her headphone out and tossed it over her shoulder. "But I get it if you're nervous—"

"You know, your psychoanalytical ploy isn't going to work with me anymore. Why not give it a rest and admit why you're _really_ here," Cell rumbled charismatically, dismissing her banter and cutting right to the chase. "You're afraid. Not of me, that you've made abundantly clear, but you _are_ afraid, and you came to face your fears."

Stoically turning towards him, Sofia crossed her arms and raised a delicate brow at him to continue.

"Hmph," he grunted and made a noncommittal gesture with his hands as he mused, "You lost control. That scares the hell out of you, and you're trying to regain control by facing me. Unfortunately, Sofia, whatever made you lose control is still there, waiting for another opportunity to take over…" he drawled in a cunning tone, smirking when she couldn't hold his gaze. "Ah, that's right. It's been there for a while, hasn't it? I first saw it in Gingertown, but you didn't realize it's been there for as long as it has, and that unnerves you…there's only one way to resolve it, you know."

Scoffing now, Sofia gave him a sharp glance as she sardonically lilted, "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," Cell retorted and smirked more broadly as he extended his hand to her and declared, "Lose control. Let it take over and destroy anything that strikes your fancy. Do whatever you wish, and enjoy every minute of it because your power is beyond needing to be caged. And, do it with someone who is even more perfect and powerful than you, so you'll strive to push your limits to become a formidable force."

Sofia's expression froze in devolved shock and wonder at the audacity of the premise. The breeze compounded the awkward silence as she tried to understand if what she heard was really what he'd just said.

"…Say what now?" she inquired, taken aback as she cocked her head comically at an angle.

"You said so yourself. What's the point of achieving perfection and ruling the universe all alone without the entertainment factor of having someone opposite of you to keep things interesting, remember? I've given it some thought, and don't think your proposition is half bad. It certainly wouldn't be boring," Cell remarked aloofly, his confident tone had a velvety quality to it as he placed one hand on his hip and gestured with his other hand for her to come closer. "And all you'd have to do is let go of your fear."

Sofia stared, completely nonplussed. "When the hell did I ever say all of that—?"

"You're really hung up on semantics. I'm paraphrasing, but the point is still the same. I'm just suggesting that your rationale about my goals would apply to you as well," he deviously husked. "After all, my genetic makeup prominently comprises cells of the likes of Vegeta, Frieza and King Cold. All had wicked ambitions, but weren't able to achieve their goals. Maybe having a partner in crime would be the advantage."

Recovering from her bewilderment, Sofia now shook her head ruefully at his comments. "Now you're just fucking with me," she laughed. "Your psychoanalysis needs work—"

Cell was suddenly in front of her, looming over and into her personal space as he leaned down and muttered, "Does it now?"

Sofia blinked at him. She was genuinely befuddled by the Android. "Is this your way of hitting on me? You HAD been leering at me all funny-like back on that island," she blurted out comically and eyed him suspiciously.

"Ugh, don't be silly!" Cell actually wrinkled his nose at the premise. "I'm just proposing a partnership—"

"It sounds like you're asking me to be your girlfriend—"

"I am doing NO such thing!"

"Ok, if you say so, but you're gonna have to work on your body language, buddy, cuz I'm totally picking up that vibe—"

"UGH! You're so foolishly deluded," he huffed and stalked away from her. "You're hearing what you want to here, girl—!"

"I'm hearing that you're totally into me and want me to be your evil girlfriend in universal domination?" she chirped sarcastically, and gave him a sultry, albeit, faux shocked expression. "Or maybe you're subconsciously projecting that, Celly-welly," she giggled deviously before giving him a beaming, fangy smile when he fumingly glared at her. " C'mon, you can't banter with me and think I won't give it right back! Seems to me my "psychoanalytical ploys" still _do_ work on you," she declared nonchalantly.

Growling, Cell reined in his temper and instead gave her a snooty huff. "Whatever. Say what you want. I saw something no one else has, and it's only a matter of time until you prove me right and lose control again. When you do, I'll be there, and I'll reap the benefits," the self-important Android grumbled resolutely and turned his back to her. "I'll see you in four days. And I won't show you any mercy…" Deciding not to push her luck, Sofia hummed at that and popped her headphone back into her ear, about to lope away from him before taking flight when he added suddenly, "And be sure to wear proper battle attire to my tournament, would you?"

Balking and spinning back on her heel to gape at him, Sofia wailed, "WHAT?! Now YOU'RE giving ME a freaking dress code?! You don't even wear clothes, and you're gonna give me guff about my fly-ass outfit right now?!"

"I'm just telling you that I expect you to take any battle with me serious, and that outfit does anything but that. It's a fight to the death, not a breakdance battle, so try and look presentable—as if your life depends on it, because it does," Cell arrogantly rumbled over his shoulder at her.

"Jeez…this from a guy with just a friggin' codpiece on—"

"Would you get the hell out of here already?!" Cell barked at her, voice echoing loudly in the crisp night air.

"Ugh, fine! Have fun staring into space the next few days," she sardonically quipped before phasing out of sight.

Grunting to himself, Cell re-crossed his arms and narrowed his magenta eyes as he glared ahead after muttering, "It's going to be so much fun killing her…"

* * *

Tossing his jacket to the side, Goku yawned and scrubbed at his eye with the heel of his hand as he plopped down in front of the fire he'd just finished stoking for the night. The sound of tropical animals trilling in the lush jungle around him distorted the crackling of the flames over the kindling.

Canvas pouch filled with five of the seven dragon balls sitting next to him, he'd decided to call it a night and search for the next magical orb at daybreak.

"Hey Goku—"

"Yiiiiaaaaaaaaah!" Goku leapt to his feet and yelped loudly, startled by the greeting and staring about comically before glancing up and seeing Sofia was floating over his makeshift campsite. "Oh, hey Sofia! You spooked me there for a second," the jovial fighter chuckled and scratched back of his head idly. "How long have you been back?"

Levitating down to stand opposite him, with the fire between them, she smiled meekly. "Eh, not too long…I was actually heading over to Capsule Corp, but wanted to say hi," she remarked. Glancing over at the pouch, she noticed the dragon radar and several of the magical orbs stored away. "Ah, you've made great progress! How was Mercenary Tao?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, he was just as weird as I remembered! It was nice of him to hand over the dragon balls he had. Saved me lots of time," he laughed as he sat back down. "But anyway, how are you? I was surprised you left through that mirror after so long. Did something bad happen?" he inquired, turquoise eyes gleaming from the firelight.

Sighing, Sofia sat in the lotus position as well, picking up a stick to poke at the embers in the fire. "I don't know, I guess I got super overwhelmed by everything and just needed to go somewhere neutral…" she murmured lamely, crimson eyes flashing ruby red at him when she glanced across the fire to hold his gaze. "That sounds weak as hell, doesn't it…?"

Brows knitting together earnestly, Goku retorted, "Nah, it happens. Doesn't hurt to take a time-out and decompress. I just hope you're not letting the others put any pressure on you."

"Hah," she chuckled dryly and diverted her gaze into the fire. "Everyone's tense and freaked out, but it's not unreasonable. Cell's a serious threat and no one's sure about their chances in a showdown against him," she mused. "Hell, so much has gone off the rails from the intended course and sequence, I'm second-guessing stuff too," she muttered and glanced back up at him as she brushed her hair over her shoulders and huffed. "How the hell do you deal with this?! I'm either super anxious, pissed or teeming with impulsive energy! And this shit is normal life for you."

Chuckling in his irreverent way at that, Goku remarked simply, "I just don't see the point in sweating it! We're going to all try our best, and that's all there is to it. Everything always works out in the end, and every opponent that comes along just helps put life into perspective for me. And it's tons of fun getting stronger!" Sofia blinked vacantly at his easygoing rationale, so he smiled as he added, "I'm scared too. If you're not scared, then you're being a real dummy, but you can't let it dictate what you do."

Snorting at that, Sofia tossed the stick she'd been poking the fire with into the flames and grumbled, "I'm more angry than scared…"

Goku focused on her, letting the silence hang for a beat. Sofia figured she'd stumped him. "I'm sorry."

Perplexed, she glanced up at him. "For what?" Her eyes crinkled, genuinely confused.

"I didn't know about what happened the day I got sick with the virus. It wasn't fair for Chi-Chi to take it out on you," the golden-haired fighter frowned, eyes soberly sad as they watched her deflate. "She really didn't mean it, so she's been trying to find a chance to apologize—"

"She doesn't owe me anything." Sofia shook her head. "It's not a big deal, so there's no reason for her to feel bad," she mused in a ruminating tone as she pulled her knees up against her chest so she could fold her arms over them. "I owe you both so much—"

"Sofia," Goku interrupted, his voice uncharacteristically serious, so she glanced into his stern gaze when he continued, "You're our friend. In a lot of ways, you've become like family to me, so don't ever think it's ok to be made to feel bad. You're not responsible for choices I make or don't make. And you definitely shouldn't have been blamed for it. I told Chi-Chi that, so hey, when we go home, you let her apologize and don't be such a badass for once, k?"

Eyes shimmering with unshed tears, Sofia ruefully shook her head to prevent herself from getting too emotional and ludicrously snapped, "I can't do that, Kakarot!"

"Sure you can!" Goku chuckled.

"Ugh…" she huffed comically and pouted as she went back to sitting in the lotus position so she could impetuously cross her arms. "Look…I'm not upset with Chi-Chi, for real. I just…I just think I've worn out my visit after squatting at your house all these years," she muttered before quickly adding, "But don't get me wrong, I've appreciated and loved every minute of it, but really, I just think I need to find my own way for a bit. I was going to stop by tomorrow and tell Chi-Chi too, so maybe that'll smooth things over—"

"Okay."

Sofia paused and glanced suspiciously over at him. His tone had been chipper, but at that lilted tone she'd come to know as Goku's 'I'm going to gloss over this in order to hide something' timber. Glaring at him, she drawled, "What're you hiding?"

"Nothing! I'm cool with you stopping by tomorrow," he goofily chirped and waved his hands exaggeratedly in a dismissive manner.

"You're cool then? No more cajoling me?" She raised a dubious brow at him.

"You wanting to go your own way totally makes sense, so what's there to cajole? I did the same thing when I was a kid, and look how that turned out. No harm in it, and as long as you're feeling better, I'm cool," the Saiyan insisted, smiling beamingly at her.

Grunting, she stood and loomed over the fire and him as she mused, "Alright then…I'm gonna head out. Once you're done finding the dragon balls, head home and I'll sense you out."

"Great! I'll tell Gohan to come down too. We might as well enjoy the next few days before the tournament," Goku remarked and gave her that damnable sweet smile of his, defrosting her suspicions that he was up to something.

"Sounds good, buddy. Later," she replied before floating upwards, securing her earbuds back on and flying up across the night sky, due west.

* * *

"OH. MY. GOD."

"Y-y-you said these are for us?!"

"Yeah! I figured you guys would get a kick out of seeing the latest tech from my old dimension. I brought some stuff back for Gohan too, but the bulk of it is stuff I thought you'd like," Sofia explained, smiling as she watched Dr. and Bulma Briefs balk at the dozens of devices she'd displayed for them on the doctor's desk. "This is a flat screen TV. Not to be confused with the flat-screen computer monitor, but the tech is the same, I'm sure, when you break it down," she instructed before picking up a smaller, sleekly packaged device. "And this is a smartphone. They're all the rage. But, I think, Bulma, you'll appreciate this laptop even more," she remarked as she handed the smartphone package to a mystified Dr. Briefs to pick up the laptop. "It's got one of the fastest processors ever, tons of memory, and it's pre-loaded with the latest software. I got myself and Gohan one, so this one is all yours!"

Bulma reverently took the package and petted the image of the laptop as she beamed with hearts in her eyes. "This all looks sooooo much more advanced than anything we're working on!" she beamed at Sofia. "THANK YOU! The Research and Development team is gonna FREAK!"

Laughing, Sofia added, "I figure with the instruction manuals alone you'd guys can make a killing, but these are your spec devices, so hope you enjoy them."

"This is all too generous, Sofia, but I'll mightily enjoy tinkering with these!" Dr. Briefs declared as he picked up as much tech as he could carry to his private lab.

The blue-haired heiress whirled around to Sofia. "Do you even know how revolutionary this tech could be for us?! I can't believe you'd part with it," she whispered conspiratorially to her.

"Eh, it's not like I can mass-produce it. I just wanna use it, so why not share so everyone can utilize it here?" Sofia reasoned and smiled.

"So, everyone's still hanging around the Lookout you said?" Bulma inquired as she gingerly placed the laptop box back down on the desk.

"Yeah, for the most part. I told Goku I'd stop by Mt. Paozu tomorrow, so I wanted to stop over with these goodies tonight before I go find somewhere to stay—"

"You're staying upstairs," Bulma resolutely declared, eyes blazing with stern friendship.

"Uhhh, I don't want to impose—"

"Oh for the love of Kami! You're _not_ imposing. We LOVE having guests. Hell, we have plenty of room, so why fight me. You can take the same room you stayed in before, so no more modesty!" Bulma verbally bulldozed and left Sofia sweatdropping and grinning meekly. "You can stay as long as you'd like, got it?"

"Alrighty then," Sofia chimed and saluted her goofily before they both giggled. "So you guys almost finished repairing Sixteen?" she inquired and phased over to the doorway of the area of the lab the giant of an Android was lying prone in, peering in and seeing he was offline.

"Yeah. We're running a backup of his CPU before we initiate the final diagnostics. He has to be online for the diagnostics, so I'm planning to run that sometime tomorrow," Bulma explained before sipping from her coffee mug.

Both women continued to chat as Sofia eventually changed subject back to the tech, and offered to show her how the laptop would work by demoing software on the laptop she was keeping for herself. As the time progressed, she ended up plugging her laptop into the Capsule Corp mainframe and added some of the choice software she figured the lab employees would enjoy and utilize in their daily work. After that, Sofia and Bulma sat next to each other and nerded out about different features the crimson-eyed woman would show her and the heiress would mimic on her own laptop. Plugging in her iPod to charge while she explained to Bulma the amount of media the small, sleek device could hold as she simultaneous clicked through the massive Capsule Corp server and created storage folders for all the media she'd backed up from her laptop.

Before long, both women looked up and yawned almost simultaneous before the blue-haired woman glanced at the watch on her wrist and flinched. "Oh wow! It's going to be 6:15am!"

"Whoa, really? I didn't even realize we'd been plugged in for that long," Sofia blinked goofily. "That's one thing I don't miss from the old days. I'd just zone out in front of a computer and lose all track of time," she muttered as she shut her laptop and stood to stretch.

"Yikes, I gotta go check on Trunks," the now harried woman bolted up and rushed to do just that. Sofia grabbed her charged iPod and followed, only to pause when she made it to the living quarters of the Briefs family and saw Bulma breathing a sigh of relief at finding her mother tending to a fussy baby Trunks in the kitchen. "Thanks for watching him, mom. We totally lost track of time," she exhaled and took the squirming baby into her arms. He began to protest impatiently, fussy for something. "Aww, is baby hungry?"

"He's part-Saiyan, so the answer will always be yes," Sofia chuckled as she walked into the large chef's kitchen and whistled as she looked around. "Whoa, I don't remember this kitchen being this decked out."

"We remodeled it a couple of years ago. Vegeta's appetite justified the upgrades," Mrs. Briefs cheerily replied as Sofia eyed the giant, stainless steel double fridges and admired the 6 burner stove.

"Damn," she mused as she turned and offered her hands to the still fussing baby, who started bouncing in Bulma's arms to be given over. "Hey, buddy! You famished, huh? How about you let me make you some grub, eh?"

When the baby cheered adorably, all three women laughed. Mrs. Briefs and Bulma excused themselves so they could go freshen up for the day while Sofia sat the baby in his highchair as she used her super speed and telekinetic abilities to prep the kitchen and ingredients for her to start cooking up a storm. With one headphone in, she listened to music and bopped along to the beat as she cooked, occasionally dancing over to Trunks to taste test the homemade baby food she was whipping up for him. Every morsel of something sweet would cause him to bounce happily in his chair.

Unbeknownst to her, the kitchen doorway behind her had just been crossed by a grumbling, antisocial being before they paused in mid-pass after smelling the exquisite aromas coming from the food she was preparing. Backpedalling and peering suspiciously into the kitchen, Vegeta shook the exhaustion off and blinked into the large room, realizing neither the woman nor her ditzy mother were the ones doing the cooking. Glancing over at his ecstatic progeny's reaction to her dancing along to whatever she was listening to, the mercurial Saiyan grunted at the sight before his stomach loudly growled from the enticing smells.

Humming to herself as she tended to the stove, Sofia idly spun the spatula in her hand with grace as she slid over to put it down and pick up a knife to chop some vegetables up. Parrying the razor-sharp knife around like a trained assassin, she turned around and froze in mid-spin, locking eyes with the perturbed Saiyan when she did a silly move for Trunks' amusement. Blinking goofily, she distractedly used her telekinetic powers to flip the pan behind her in order to toss the pancakes to cook evenly.

"Well, well, well, look who took my advice and came to chill," she purred goadingly at him before giving him a smug grin, resuming the idle-yet-expertly working of the knife around as she spun it. She eyed him coolly, noting he was in his casual sleeveless blue bodysuit and armor-free, meaning he must've snuck back to Capsule Corp overnight for a fresh outfit. "Want something to eat? I'm making Trunks and I some breakfast~," she tempted and went back to dancing, amusing the little tyke and earning a scowl from Vegeta.

"…what're you making," he guardedly inquired, wanting to stalk off, but his hunger won out over his pride.

Smirking, she balanced he point of the knife on her thumb before tossing it seamlessly backwards to slide back into the wooden block she'd pulled it from previously. Continuing to bop to the song she was listening to, she laid out the next batch of treats onto a serving tray before floating the mini buffet onto the breakfast table. "Sausage, bacon, a large cheese omelet, pancakes, and I was just finishing Trunks' food before I roast some—" when she turned, Vegeta was already sitting at the table and wolfing down food from the tray she'd set onto it. Trunks was now babbling at his father, pouting that he wasn't sharing with him. Sofia stifled her giggles as she sat in front of the baby and showed him the bowl of baby food she'd prepared for him. "Check it, Trunks. I put some banana, a smidge of pineapple and sweet potato in," she remarked to the blue-eyed child as she raised the spoon to his lips and fed him. Squealing happily, the baby slapped the feeding tray in front of him for her to put the bowl down for him. Once she did, he dug into the food with his chubby hands, merrily gobbling every morsel and humming contentedly at her.

Vegeta watched the display, eating greedily. He noted her expertise with a weapon, albeit via flippant display, was something to catalogue for later, as he watched her move around with preternatural skill and a silly sway to her movements. When Sofia served the rest of the food, he handed her the empty serving tray and began to polish off the rest of the plates she'd just set down. He hadn't eaten so good in ages, and it was taking all of his warrior's pride not to hum in equal contentment, just like the babe sitting next to him, who was now watching him admiringly. Huffing, he shot the baby a glare as if to say, 'what're you looking at,' but Trunks simply slapped his tray top excitedly.

"D'aaaaaw!" Sofia fawned from the stove, eyes glittery as she mentally took a snapshot of the adorable moment between begrudging father and precocious son.

"Are you going to be crashing here then, stealth?"

The surly question surprised her, so she grabbed her plate of food and sat across from him. "Maybe for a couple of days. Until I find somewhere permanent—"

"Will you be doing the cooking while you're here?"

Blinking goofily at him, Sofia noticed the usually smug and superior look on his chiseled features was now replaced by a guarded, albeit almost hopeful glare in his eyes.

"Uhhh, sure?" she replied with a silly lilt.

Giving her a measured stare, he grunted in approval. "I like my steaks bloody, don't trim the fat, and make sure to always include something sweet at the end of every meal," he confidently instructed as he stood and reached for the pancakes on her plate, stabbed them with his fork in order to transport them to his empty plate and drowned them in maple syrup.

Sitting back in her chair, Sofia watched him unselfconsciously gobble her meal before she glanced at the baby in the highchair next to her. "He stole my food…"

"You can make more," Vegeta grunted with his mouth full as he piled more bacon onto his plate.

Comically falling backwards in her chair, Sofia quickly hopped to her feet and loomed over the greedy Saiyan. "…I'll make more if you promise not to eat off my plate," she propositioned, crossing her arms imposingly as she stared down at him.

"…I can't make any promises," Vegeta replied simply before shoveling three sausages into his mouth.

"Not even if I make you steaks—PLURAL—and eggs?" she offered with a wily look in her crimson eyes.

"…Maybe…" he drawled, licking syrup from the corner of his mouth. Grunting wryly, she turned and prepped the dish, determined to stuff him full of food until he couldn't eat another bite, not realizing the Saiyan was trying to peer over at the stove and watch her skillful hands work as she seared the steaks she'd just seamlessly seasoned at the counter. While he'd been impressed with her fighting prowess before, he now thought her cooking outmatched it, and wondered if complimenting her would earn him even more delicious food. Trunks babbled over at him, and gave him a stern look he hadn't seen since he'd looked in the mirror that morning, as if to say, 'do it, fool!' Huffing an exhale, he curtly muttered, "Too bad your fighting isn't as good as your cooking."

Turning to give him an odd stare, Sofia chirped, "Was that a compliment?"

"It's a statement of fact, nothing more," he aloofly mused as he reached over to the tray top Trunks had spilled some of his food onto and scooped some up before popping it into his own mouth. "Dammit…even this mush is good."

"Awwwww, Vegetaaaaaa," Sofia genuinely fawned, feeling giddy from the mercurial prince's begrudging compliments. Throwing her arms comically around his shoulders and shaking him ridiculously, she chimed, "Just for being my bestest most badass hungry buddy, I'm going to cook up a storm for you!"

Recoiling and about to blast her away from him, Vegeta paused at the mental image of him surrounded by an infinite amount of food dishes, and a prancing Sofia dancing happily about as he feasted, caused him to reconsider and just admonishingly glare at her intrusiveness. Raising a smug-yet-aloof brow, Vegeta crossed his arms and tensely grunted before grousing haughtily, "Consider it payment for my glorious friendship…"

"Hah! Fine by me. But so you know, if your hand ever comes near my plate of food again, you'll be pulling back a stump," she chimed wickedly, eyes gleaming garnet as she grinned impishly at him before returning to the stove.

Vegeta scoffed at that, but smirked despite himself. "Don't make idle threats. It's unbecoming," he groused wryly in a gruff tone before popping another strip of bacon into his mouth.

Trunks started to babble for his father's attention, petitioning to be picked up out of the highchair. Vegeta aloofly stared at the child, unmoved by the precocious gleam in the babe's blue eyes.

Sofia eyed the exchange before she placed a massive platter laden with steaks and eggs before him. Vegeta's eyes went wide with excitement before returning to the guarded, caustic gaze he'd honed after years of threat and tumult. Before he could dig into the bounty, Sofia stuck a knife swiftly in the middle of the steak he had his eye on, causing Vegeta's expression to twitch before he stared up at her.

"Do I look like I make idle threats?"

Vegeta took pause at the edge her smooth, rhetorical question held compared to the sharp look in her crimson eyes. It wasn't a threat, or even a challenge, but it held a warning that she wasn't bluffing or showing off. Instead of taking umbrage, he was actually mildly impressed by her fearlessness. Baby Trunks cooed in amazement at the interaction, for some reason, earning a smirk from the usually surly Saiyan. "Well now, just look who has a vicious streak in her," he chuckled sitting back in his chair and giving her an appraising once over.

Temper receding, she exhaled through her nose and ruefully shook her head. "I wouldn't call it a streak," she huffed dispassionately, adding as a dry aside, "I just ain't the kind to back down and surrender, no matter if it's over food or a fight, alright?"

Considering the comment, Vegeta found no fault in it. He actually oddly related to the sentiment. "No arguments here," he grunted, almost easygoing as he grabbed the knife and began to hack at the juicy steak before eating it with gusto. "Cook like this, and I'll continue to let your insolence slide."

Snorting at, Sofia figured it was the closest to a thank you as she'd get from the legendary badass, so she picked Trunks up from the highchair and balanced him on her hip as she glibly announced, "Alright, I'll make more pancakes and we can share. Sound good, buddy?"

* * *

Staring down at the sight, Bulma and Mrs. Briefs were utterly amazed.

"This is the most heartwarming thing I've ever seen," the blonde gushingly whispered, not wanting to stir them, and fawned comically at the sight.

"How the hell did you manage this? He's never slept out here, let alone so peacefully!" Bulma whispered in awe at Sofia before staring back down at the couch.

Vegeta was completely passed out, lying on his back on the comfortable cushions, hands folded over his stomach and legs crossed at the ankles over the armrest while Trunks was fast asleep as well, lying on and snuggling against the Saiyan Prince's muscular chest while he suckled on his little thumb.

Sofia was smirking triumphantly as she raised her smartphone up and soundlessly snapped a picture of the adorable moment. "That's what overfeeding a full-grown Saiyan will do. If he's anything like Goku, he'll be sleeping like a log for hours," she whispered her reply and winked at the other two women. "I kind of cleaned out the fridge, though, so I definitely owe you a grocery run."

"We have a delivery service on speed dial, so don't worry," Bulma whispered as she lovingly gazed down, only dully realizing she was feeling love for son AND father. "Did he actually pick Trunks up?"

"Nah, I strategically placed him to snuggle with dear 'ol dad when he started to doze off," Sofia whispered. She watched as the blue-haired woman seemed to get lost in her thoughts as she stared down at Vegeta, so she elbowed her playfully and wiggled her brows goofily when Bulma glanced wide-eyed at her, startled to have been caught in her staring. "Yo, you tapped that, girl. Please tell me you're gonna tap that fine ass again soon, eh?" she grinned and gave Bulma an approving nod when she blushed harder and Mrs. Briefs stifled a giggle.

Herding Sofia and her mother comically out of the living room, Bulma hissed, "As if I'd put up with his arrogant, self-centered bullshit again, now c'mon and let them sleep."

Undeterred, Sofia persisted as they walked towards the side of the living quarters where the bedrooms were located. "Ah, c'mon! He can be a real prick, but damn don't he have a nice ass," Sofia pantomimed slapping a behind with zeal and gave Bulma a wily grin.

Mrs. Briefs giggled at Sofia's display. "You girls go on ahead. I'm going to check on the husband," she announced before flouncing down a hall and towards the stairs to the lower level.

As they rounded the curb towards the side of the corridor where the guest bedrooms were, Bulma huffed, "It's not as simple as that, you know."

"It never is," Sofia smiled reassuringly before adding, "But love never is."

Bulma's features tightened at that. "Will it ever get easier…?" she glanced at Sofia and the hope-starved gleam in her blue eyes caused her to halt.

Putting her hand in her jogger pocket and turning off the iPod she'd been listening to on a low volume the whole time, Sofia stashed the headphones away in the same pocket as well before turning to give Bulma a sober expression. "Do you remember what I told you the first time we met?"

Pondering, Bulma recollected the deal she'd struck up with her: one answer about her future love life in exchange for storage capsules and 500 zeni. "That I was going to dump Yamcha?"

"And…?" Sofia coaxed. When the heiress simply pouted, Sofia relented. "I said you'd be getting with a sexy ass guy, one of the finest men in history, I think. Anyway," she pulled out her smartphone and showed her the photo she'd snapped. "Was I wrong? He's a rugged, handsome warrior, a prince, brilliant—albeit wicked, but he's determined and fierce, and I'm sure he's a freak in the sheets, and you wooed him," Sofia declared, her gusto for their relationship shining through as she added, "It might not be the love you envisioned, but it's a unique love that with a lot of nurturing and patience, you both will solidify. Just don't give up hope or let him rile you…he's always going to be tough, but there's only one person he'll ever open up to, and that's you."

Bulma's eyes were now glistening with emotion, causing her to smile ruefully. She wiped at a stray tear before it rolled completely down her cheek. "Thanks. I was starting to think I was crazy for feeling the way I do," she murmured.

Sofia melted at that, and found herself internally yearning for her twin star. "Don't mention it. I'm always here for you whenever you need a Vegeta whisperer, haha," she chuckled. They resumed their path towards the guest bedrooms as they chatted idly about things. The room Sofia had stayed in previously was at the end of the hall to the right, next to a large sliding window that looked out on the interior grounds of the massive Capsule Corp campus. Said window was open, and the breeze was stirring the vertical blinds as they came up. "Huh, is that normally open?"

Bulma exhaled dramatically. "No. Vegeta sneaks in through that window when he doesn't want to be detected. Our bedroom balconies are close enough that I can hear the sliding door open and close when he comes back, so he's made it a habit to sneak in this way," she huffed, shaking her head begrudgingly. "Oh, that reminds me!" Bulma announced before tiptoeing to the second door they'd just walked past. Peering in, she sighed in relief before shutting the door again. "Well, both of my sons are asleep…that really sounds weird, huh."

"Oh, Trunks is in there?" Sofia asked, smiling at the thought of the future warrior spending quality time with his family instead of moodily sparring at the Lookout.

"Yep, he's fast asleep. He must be just like Vegeta—staying up for days at a time to train non-stop before crashing," Bulma mused as she shut the window and led Sofia into the bedroom she'd be staying in. "Vegeta could only ever sleep a few hours as it is."

"That's what years of being on a warship or in a space pod will do," Sofia remarked knowingly before pausing and realizing the guest bedroom had been spruced up since she was in it last. Nice, cozy decorative pillows lined the head of the bed, there were candies in a glass bowl on the nightstand, and her backpack was on the bed, waiting for her. The bathroom was also refreshed with fragrant soaps and shampoos and tons of fluffly towels. "Whoa, what's all this for?"

"Mom couldn't pass up the opportunity to warm up the place," Bulma reassured, adding, "Seriously, you can stay however long as you'd like. Even Vegeta won't have a snarky ass comment on the matter, it seems."

Laughing, Sofia thanked her and admired the room after the heiress had excused herself to go check on baby Trunks and return to the lab. Deciding to freshen up, Sofia showered and got ready to keep her promise from the night before. Snapping herself a simple pair of jeans and a black t-shirt with the phrase "METAL | BAND" written obtusely across the bust, she pulled on her sneakers, brushed her hair and grabbed her backpack as she rushed to the balcony. She left the sliding door open as she took flight and ascended into sunny morning, reaching out with her mind and sensing Goku's power level was back home. Plugging her headphones in, she pressed play and went back to listening to music as she flew, finding the practice calming and reassuring. Ever since she'd gotten the iPod, she'd spent every waking moment she could listening to it, relishing the device's library filled with thousands of songs, old and new.

As she flew, her mind couldn't help wander to Piccolo. She wondered if he was still on the Lookout. Having blocked her telepathy with him, she had to rely on sensing his power level. _Hmph, he must be cloaking it…_

Frowning, she replayed Bulma's comments from before, and found herself relating to the woman's sad-yet-hopeful demeanor towards her volatile relationship with Vegeta. However, the resentment she harbored towards her twin star began to rumble loudly in her recollections. After all, they'd not had a explosive relationship for years now. If anything, they'd been loving and perfect—or at least perfect according to them. Now, she felt like she had to question his intentions. He'd gone out of his way to alienate her, even to suggest she was reckless and only getting in his way.

… _He's never even claimed us, after all these years…_

The thought hurt her. She was so in her feelings she didn't register how oddly the thought had sounded as it reverberated in her mind.

Snapping out of her resentful stewing, she blasted ki to flood her speed and propel her across the sky before she phased below the clouds to hover over the lush valley below. The Son cottage looked tiny from so far up, and she suddenly missed it. Descending slowly, she eventually landed in the front yard, and found it very quiet. The birds were chirping, but no one seemed to be around.

Suddenly, she spun and caught Gohan before he could tackle her playfully. "Aaargh! Oh c'mon, you sensed me coming?!"

"Of course I did! You're literally wearing a cape, dude. I heard it flap when you rounded the corner," Sofia laughed, putting away her headphones before pulling the shorter fighter into a headlock and adding, "You being in perpetual Super Saiyan mode ain't hiding your power level either, kid." Gohan chuckled at that and pried himself free of her hold before smiling in that winning, cheery way of his. "Oh, so I got some stuff I wanted to give you—"

"Sofia! So nice of you to stop by," Goku suddenly chirped as he burst open the front door and hugged her suddenly. "Awww, it's so great having you home!" Blinking in confusion at the odd behavior, she let Goku pull her into the house before surprising her with the reveal of the 'Welcome Home!' banner that crookedly hung over the kitchen and above the table laden with all her favorite foods and treats. Sushi, dumplings, fried rice and more were delectably waiting for her while Chi-Chi sat happily at the table, albeit a bit tense, as Goku declared, "TA-DA!"

"…" Sofia stared at the display before glancing over at Gohan, who was grinning adorably at her. "What's all this?"

"I got to thinking that maybe you didn't feel like this was home, cuz, well, we've never really set aside a place for you! We trained for three years and not once did we think of getting you set up with your own room," Goku explained as he excitedly rushed over and pulled open a blueprint roll and showed it proudly to her. "See? We're gonna put an addition to the house, and that'll be where you can stay. You'll have your own bed and everything!"

Overwhelmed, Sofia's eyes went wide as she felt conflicting emotions. "Goku," she mused, pausing as she felt a lump in her throat tighten.

"You won't have to go your own way after the tournament, and you can stay officially with us," Gohan chimed, mirroring his excited father's expression as he added, "No more sleeping on the floor or not having your own space—"

"Whoa…whoa, let's pump the breaks," Sofia interjected in a stern tone before glancing at Goku. "We talked about this last night. I'm not going to keep squatting here with you guys."

"Awww, but I really thought about it and don't see why we can't make it work," Goku sincerely mused, arms dropping as he looked over at Chi-Chi.

"Sofia, I'm really sorry. I don't know why it's taken me so long to say it, but I was wrong for getting upset with you," the usually-domineering raven-haired woman rushed over to her and apologized. "I don't want you to think you can't stay here because of what I said. I was just so upset—"

Scowling, Sofia glanced up at Goku again. "I _told_ you I wasn't upset. Why're you trying to force her to say sorry?! She has _nothing_ to be sorry for!" she snapped, stepping towards Goku and poking him pointedly in the chest as she barked, "Why're you making these stupid plans anyway?! You should be focused on the tournament, not worrying about cheering me up or remodeling!"

Blinking at her angry expression, Goku absently replied, "They're not stupid. I thought—"

"This is what you were hiding, wasn't it?" Sofia hissed.

"Maybe—" Goku offered in the same goofy lilting tone as he did the night before, earning Sofia's real ire now.

"What the hell—is this what everyone thinks of me? I'm just some helpless and hapless loser who needs to be taken care of? I didn't ASK you to do ANYTHING! I can take care of myself, and frankly, after all of the crowding and angst and hysteria from everyone, I just want to be ALONE!" Sofia berated, sneering as she added, "I only came here to give Gohan belated birthday gifts."

With that, she turned towards her friend, fished out her capsule case, and pressed the plunger on one before tossing it. Instantly, a pop and plume of smoke revealed all the latest generation devices she'd snagged for him. In the pile were a laptop, a large flat-screen TV, a scientific calculator, and tons of other gadgets and software he could use for his studies.

Kneeling in front of the young fighter, Sofia trained her expression into a stoic mask, but her eyes were still glowing garnet as she mused, "This'll help with your homework, kid. I'll see you in a couple of days, alright?"

Gohan was frowning. "Are you mad at me?"

Shuttering in, Sofia's gaze softened. "No. I'm not and will never be mad at you, Gohan. I just need to go away for a while—"

"You did that already!" Gohan protested, brows furrowing as his turquoise eyes trembled with frustrated anger.

Goku was silent, not knowing what to say while Chi-Chi attempted, "You're our friend, Sofia. We just wanted you to know how much we care—"

"What's going on?"

Everyone paused at the baritone voice that came from the front door. Sofia turned and saw Piccolo filling the space, expression guarded as he exchanged looks with Goku before seeing Sofia's expression darken. Turning away from him, she instead murmured to Gohan, "Look kid. I didn't mean for all this static to happen. I—I'm just not in the right headspace. No one is mad at anyone, and I definitely know and appreciate all of you and your friendships. You've all done so much for me…it's meant the world to me. I just…"

When she faltered to find words, Gohan placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it, giving her a reassuring look. "Thanks for the gifts."

Seeing the understanding gleam in his turquoise eyes, Sofia exhaled a shaky breath and chuckled. "You're welcome," she replied softly before going to stand. "I accept your apology, Chi. You didn't need to give it, but I accept," she directed to the other woman, who was frowning still, before addressing Goku next. "I don't like that you just didn't take my word for it. I'm sorry for losing my temper though."

"Don't worry about it," Goku jovially waved off as he comically kicked the rolled up blueprints he'd presented with his foot to slide them under the table self-consciously.

Snickering, she turned and gave them a casual wave over her shoulder as she walked towards the door. "I'll see you guys later," she coolly mused after inhaling a cleansing breath. Piccolo sidestepped to let her pass, but let his gaze linger on her, hoping she would turn and acknowledge him. He wanted badly to say something, but hoped she'd give him some sign, something—anything encouraging at this point. Hell, he would've accepted her reaming him out in front of his old archrival if it meant she'd drop her guard, but instead, he watched as she suddenly phased out of sight.

Scowl deepening, he dimly heard Chi-Chi tell Gohan to put away his gifts before sitting to eat the sprawling lunch she'd whipped up.

"She's really going through something," Goku remarked as he went to stand next to Piccolo, genuinely bewildered. When he glanced over at him and crossed his arms, the Saiyan added, "I should've respected her wishes, but I really thought she was being modest! I didn't want what Chi-Chi said to make her stay away—"

"What're you talking about?" Piccolo grunted and inquired, gaze intensifying on the shorter man.

"Well," Goku lowered his voice as he explained, "Chi-Chi laid into her the day I got sick from the virus. She sorta was upset Sofia didn't stop it from happening—"

"You mean she _blamed_ her for not telling you it'd happen," Piccolo groused in a gruff tone, glowering now. _That's why she seemed so distracted and in her feelings that day…_

Goku winced, but nodded. "Yeah…she was upset, but that's NO excuse for taking it out on her. I told Chi-Chi so," the fighter crossed his arms and frowned. "I think it really made Sofia feel some kind of way about being around us now, and I just thought if we showed her we really wanted her around and we cared, she'd feel better."

Grunting, Piccolo muttered, "Did she say where'd she was going to stay in the meantime?"

"No, but my guess is she's crashing at Bulma's. She was heading to Capsule Corp last night after we talked, so it only makes sense. They've got TONS of room there and everyone sorta does their own thing, so," Goku shrugged as he dropped his arms to his sides and pouted. "She's really mad, Piccolo. I don't know what made her leave through the mirror the other day, or be in this angry funk, but maybe you can talk to her?"

Piccolo hid his startled reaction quickly, replacing it with a perturbed expression as he eyed Goku with irritation. He wanted to bark at him that he'd been trying to talk to her and she'd shut him out, but knew it would only lead to a barrage of questions, so he instead grumbled, "Has talking to Chi-Chi when she was pissed off ever worked for you?"

"Uhhhh, good point," Goku lamely replied before laughing goofily. "I guess her temper does give Chi-Chi and Bulma a run for their money, huh."

"We have a couple of days until the tournament, so maybe she'll cool off enough before then to be up for talking," Piccolo remarked instead.

"Yeah," Goku replied, adding quickly, "Oh, maybe we could do something before the tournament for everyone to sorta take their mind off stuff! It'd be a good excuse to get her around everybody so she can see we're all cool and want her around."

Giving him a serious look, Piccolo muttered, "Wasn't that what you just tried to do?" and gestured to the crooked banner hanging inside.

"Well, yeah, but technically she got mad cuz I was cajoling her about staying here when she told me not to," Goku scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously.

Piccolo shook his head at him. "If she's at Capsule Corp, get Bulma involved and see if she thinks it's a good idea. She can make the arrangements, and Sofia will be more likely not to feel hassled by it," he reasoned, thinking Goku had the right idea about his twin star seeking people less clingy than the Sons. The Briefs fit the bill.

Which also meant she was around Trunks.

The thought made him irrationally jealous. Goku remarked that it was a good idea and went back inside to get the phone and call his old friend with the plan.

'You _do_ know she only had eyes for you, right?' Nail remarked dryly, feeling his counterpart's jealousy begin to simmer.

Piccolo huffed, not wanting to get into it. Instead, he focused on the one-sided conversation he could hear Goku having.

Bulma was eagerly agreeing with her friend on the other end, spinning in her lab chair and prattling on about how they could have the party in the atrium and how everyone should come by and dress casual and be prepared to dance and be silly to let off some steam. "I think she'd get a kick out of everyone dressing in their coolest outfits and just mingling without worrying about some bad guy for once! I'll set it up, and maybe we can do the day after tomorrow?"

Goku agreed, and asked Bulma to send out the invite to everyone else.

Once she hung up the phone, Bulma rushed upstairs and told her parents about the plan, earning their enthusiastic approval, and her mother set off to make preparations. Her father nodded vigorously as he sipped his coffee and stared at the Saiyan that was still passed out on his couch. "So what happened to him again?" Dr. Briefs asked comically, earning an immediate shush from his daughter.

* * *

Sofia had snuck back into the headquarters building and had made a beeline for the lower level, still upset and wanting to find some way to rein in her furious energy. Peeking into the private lab space she'd gotten so acquainted with, she realized everyone was still upstairs, so she took advantage and went over to the laptop she'd left on the desk and opened it, quickly typing in a search into the Capsule Corporation directory in order to lookup the location of a certain training space she'd always wanted to checkout. Finding it easily, she smirked and took the laptop with her as she followed the directions down the monolithic hallways. She sensed Vegeta was still upstairs, so once she was in front of the 3rd generation of the Gravity Simulator, she went to the docking station adjacent to it and plugged in her laptop in order to pull up the protocols required in order to gain access into the room. Bulma had mentioned how the previous Gravity Simulator – the one out on the Capsule Corp grounds away from the main building – had been on her list for decommissioning since her father had been able to design a more stable and energy-efficient model and constructed it within the main building.

Doing some application reconfiguring, she managed to get the lab's mainframe to respond to her laptop for commands and guidance. Smirking, she made a few more modifications and left the computer plugged in as she walked over and punched in the passcode into the door's entrance panel. The door opened to her and the room's lights automatically came on to reveal the massive room. "Whoa," Sofia breathed out in awe as she walked in and appraised the space, hearing her voice slightly echo against he thick panels and tiles. The door shut and sealed behind her as she approached the large control panel and simulator screen. Studying all the buttons, she recognized a few and realized it was a fairly simple system. Pressing one button, she activated the hidden TV screen to descend from its hidden perch in the ceiling before it turned on. Clearing her throat, she called out, "Computer: open playlist."

For a moment, nothing occurred, then she saw the screen display her laptop's playlist application. "What would you like to play?" the computer inquired in a sterile tone.

Fist pumping and cheering, Sofia danced goofily around before responding, "Something rocking!"

From upstairs, Dr. Brief's received an alert on his computer screen in the living room. "Huh," the mustachioed scientist hummed before going to check the alert. When he saw that someone had accessed the Gravity Simulator, he did a double take to the couch behind him, where Vegeta was peacefully sleeping before looking back and checking the security cameras.

Meanwhile, Sofia was bopping to music in the acoustically friendly space, snapping her fingers to materialize training gear to replace her casual outfit before she went back to the panel and punched in some numbers. "Alright…let's start off with 20 times gravity then!" she mused, hand looming over the large button that would engage the sequence and alter the gravity in the room.

"Wait!" she heard screech over the intercom system, causing her to dive to the ground. "What in the blazes are you doing in there?!"

Peering upwards, she looked about until she saw the security camera focus down on her. Blinking, Sofia rushed over to it and waved. "Oh, hey, doc! I was just gonna do some training. I read the protocols and know what to do, so don't worry—"

"Did you ask Vegeta's permission to use the simulator?" Dr. Briefs inquired in a harried tone, releasing the intercom button from his lab office and balking at the security feed.

"…I _did_ tell him I'd try out the Gravity Simulator," she innocently replied, smiling beamingly.

"That doesn't answer the question, young lady," Dr. Brief's voice grumbled over the speakers.

"I promise not to break it! I just really need to get a workout in, and didn't want to bother anyone," Sofia cajoled, flailing excitedly. "Pleaaaase?"

Flustered, the scientist slapped his hand over his face and dragged it down as he muttered, "Oh alright…but I won't be the one you have to answer to, you know."

"I know!" Sofia offered the camera the peace sign before rushing back to the panel and dramatically pressing the engage button.

* * *

"Ahck!" Vegeta startled awake and sat up, confused and staring wildly around, looking for the foe that had pounced on him. Scratch yowled and scampered away after having jumped up to the back of the couch and hopped down onto his chest. Growling, he glared about, finding the living room quiet and vacant. Peering over at the closest clock, he balked, surprised to see he'd slept most of the day away! "Ugh, this damned planet's turned me soft…" he grumbled to himself as he stood and stretched his back. He reached out with his senses, and found everyone was home. Straining his hearing, he could pick up Trunks talking to the ditzy blonde out on the patio. Wanting to avoid any socializing, he made a quick exit to the opposite direction and decided to prowl down to the lower level. He walked past the lab the woman and her father shared for direct course to his Gravity Simulator, figuring he would make up for the snooze-a-thon by getting some 500-times gravity training in before the tournament.

As he approached, he realized the ambient noise of the simulator was humming down the hall. Confused, he stalked down the hall and saw that the caution light was engaged and blinking red, a warning for anyone that the Gravity Simulator was in use. "What the—" he paused before it dawned on him. Getting to the docking station, he saw a laptop plugged in and displaying some sort of list. Reaching over to turn on the security camera feed on the monitor at the docking station, he saw the hazy atmosphere within the chamber. The air was reverberating and the feed showed the eerie red hue inside as he made out the silhouette of someone parrying around the chamber.

Snarling, Vegeta tried to find the intercom button but was so aggravated he impatiently whirled around looking for the damned failsafe panel Dr. Briefs had shown him back when he'd unveiled the upgraded simulator to him.

Sofia was straining to stay centered on her feet, sweat streaming from her hairline as she panted before taking the measured inhalation of breath she needed to fuel her next combo. In a flurry, she was launched across the room into a comb of attack sequences, slashing and jabbing at invisible opponents as she hopped along the reinforced panels and spun gracefully in the air before back flipping across the warm tiled floor. The Rock song blaring and vibrating the air made the 150-times gravity more grueling while keeping her focused on honing her attacks as she spun on her heels and went to hop up and rush back into the sequence. Suddenly, the simulator beeped some kind of warning, ceasing the music as Sofia went from a hop to being propelled by the rebounding stabilization of normal gravity in the chamber to instead bounce against the ceiling comically before ricocheting across the room and crashing face first into the warm tiled floor with a loud thud.

"—Owwwwww…" she lamely wheezed out of her lungs as she remained pancaked to the ground as the simulator's door whirred open.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN MY GRAVITY SIMULATOR!?"

The booming yell made Sofia deflate goofily before she slowly pried her face up from the floor to bleary-eyed stare up at the furious Saiyan Prince, woken from his nap.

"I thought this was a dance club? Where am I?" Sofia sarcastically chirped as she slinked across the floor to try and peel herself up to her feet. "Wait, I think I died when I hit the wall on that third bounce," she gasped as she managed to get to her knees before falling backwards to stare exhaustedly to the ceiling. "What the fuck happened?!"

Sweatdropping, Vegeta stomped over and glowered down at her, fists clenched impatiently at his sides. Staring as she panted and smiled maniacally at him, hair strewn wildly about and her formfitting training top and shorts completely sweated through, the surly fighter glanced up at the simulator panel as he groused, "What did you have it set to?"

"I think it was at 150-times gravity, last time I heard—"

Vegeta stepped over her to go see the screen for himself, grunting when indeed, the reading matched what she'd said. Turning to glare at her over his shoulder, he muttered, "Do you have a death wish, or are you just trying to royally piss me off."

"Neither," Sofia huffed as she managed to sit up and stared exhaustedly at him. "Can't a girl get some fucking training in? Motive-free?"

Considering her comment, Vegeta turned and crossed his arms as he leaned against the edge of the panel. "It sounded like hellish chaos was breaking out in here—"

"So it should sound familiar, no?" she shot back as she laboriously got to her feet. "Can't I just rock my face off and not be judged?" she laughed, wavering slightly. Sneering, she pulled her red long sleeved training top off and tossed it down. The garment thudded loudly, as if weighted, when it landed on the tiled floor at her feet. Standing in her black sports bra, she rolled her shoulders and sighed, feeling relief.

Vegeta blinked down at the weighted top. "You use weighted clothing?"

Stretching her arms and standing on her tippy toes, Sofia scoffed, "Of course! I make 'em cuz I like the resistance they give me. "

From the sound the garment made when it thudded to the floor, Vegeta figured it had to be quite a heavy weight, on top of training under the level of gravity she'd been at before he stopped the simulator. Sofia stood in front of him in her black sports bra and shorts, looking unassuming, least of all like an insanely powerful fighter. "Could you make weighted gear for anyone else?"

The tone of the question sounded quirky to her, so she focused her gaze at him, catching the hint of hopefulness shine in his dark eyes at the prospect of being outfitted himself. Smirking, Sofia placed her hands on her hips. "Sure! It's a snap, literally," she remarked and snapped her fingers, materializing a new and fresh workout outfit for herself.

Blinking in impressed wonder, Vegeta grunted and huffed aloofly, "You can train in the simulator as long as you make me my own weighted gear."

Smiling impishly, Sofia clapped her hands together and added, "I can have a standing invite to come and train in here and with you whenever I feel like it, you mean?"

Rolling his eyes, Vegeta grumbled, "No abominable music though—"

"Awwww, c'mon!" Sofia protested.

"How the hell you can listen to that is beyond me, but I don't need the distraction!" he snapped. "How _did_ you get it set up to play in here?"

Wiggling her eyebrows goofily at him, she chimed, "I did some nerdy computer stuff and set it up. Computer: Play the 'Oh hell yeah!' mix!"

Instantly, the sound of an iconic Queen song began to play in the simulator. Vegeta grimaced at first, but as the melody continued, he actually grunted and listened. Sofia smirked and went on to explain all the ideas she had for improving the simulator in the long run as she made Vegeta stand still so she could walk around him and visually take his measurements. Assessing where the added weight would best improve his training, she took his specs for what he wanted the gear to be and how dense the added weight should be.

Wearing a crisscross purple top with contouring black and blue leggings, she stood in front of him and snapped her fingers deftly, triggering the magical fashioning to synch around the mercurial Saiyan's muscular form, instantly replacing his outfit with his new gear. Vegeta felt the weight sculpt to his body and marveled at the garments as he stared down at his arms and weighted boots. The outfit was his classic battle attire, but had denser weaving along his haunches, the inline of his arms, and his shoulders. The armor around his chest was as heavy as a dozen cinder blocks, but still streamlined to his body.

Impressed, he decided to take the new training gear out for a spin, so he engaged the Gravity Simulator and allowed Sofia to spar with in. He actually found the workout taxing now, and they were just at 110-times gravity. Before long, their training became competitive, however. "Alright, whoever taps out first loses! We'll let the gravity increase, and fight until one of us can't handle it anymore," Sofia challenged, smiling as she whipped her sweaty hair back over her shoulders.

"Hah!" Vegeta found her temerity amusing. "You're gonna buckle, stealth. You were huffing and puffing under 150-times gravity!"

"So?! I wasn't sparring before, and I am now," she shot back, cocky. "C'mooooon! You know a workout doesn't hold a candle to a fight. Let's brawl!" she cajoled, crouching down and gesturing with her hands for him to just agree before going into headbanging to the Rock song that was currently playing, while simultaneous playing air guitar.

Her tone and demeanor reminded him of how Nappa would brashly coax and badger him into doing things Vegeta looked down or simply had no interest in. The hulking Saiyan would act more like a giant enforcer—albeit frat buddy, than his distinguished bodyguard. The comparison caused his mind to conjure up a goofy image of Nappa dressed girly and prancing about to music, causing him to grimace and shake the galling thought away.

"What? You don't think I can handle it? C'MON!" She shouted goadingly, her body language hyped up and her expression lively, as if she was spoiling for a real fight.

Glaring at her sharply, he snapped, "You're on!"

From the lab across the way, Bulma stared at the video screen and cringed. "I'm only going to let this go on for 5 more minutes! Watching them is giving me anxiety," she fretted while she bounced baby Trunks in her lap.

"Well, it doesn't seem like any harm is being done, so why not let them get it out of their system?" Dr. Briefs mused, marveling at the screen as he stood over Bulma's shoulder.

"I think I'm going to prep the regen-chambers, just in case," she grumbled in a harried tone, handing a precocious Trunks to her father as she rushed out of the lab.

Giggling adorably, the tyke patted his grandfather on the cheeks while the world-renowned scientist chuckled.

As Bulma went down the hall, she almost ran into grownup Trunks, who caught her before they could collide. "Whoa, where's the fire, mom?"

"Vegeta is overdoing it again, so I'm going to prep the regeneration chambers your grandfather mocked up for such an occasion…" she retorted as she backpedaled down the hall and ran out of sight.

"Huh?!" Trunks rushed down to the lab she'd just come from and found his grandfather struggling with his younger self. "Uh...so what's going on?"

"Ah, Vegeta and Sofia are sparring in the Gravity Simulator—"

"What?!" the long-haired fighter gaped as he rushed to see the video screen his grandfather was trying to peer at while the baby tugged on his lab coat. Sure enough, he saw his father and Sofia sparring in a frenzied speed he could barely register. "How long have they been fighting?!"

"About 20 minutes. The gravity has been ratcheting up every 5 minutes, so they're probably going to have to be dragged out of there before long," the scientist mused.

He watched as Sofia parried a combo Vegeta used to push her back, but when the simulator notched the gravity up, they both wavered on their feet. She fell onto one knee and gritted her teeth while Vegeta spread his weight evenly and remained on his feet. "Just give it up. You're not gonna surpass my stamina—" the Saiyan snapped just before Sofia suddenly speared him and drove him to the ground.

"Oh no—I'm not gonna tap out first!" Sofia haggardly hissed before vaulting over his head and missing a spin kick he'd aimed at her.

The two sparred with gusto, but were quickly beginning to falter as the gravity went up once again. Glancing at the panel, Sofia submerged her shock.

"Go ahead. Hit the button and you're done," Vegeta groused goadingly.

Sofia's knees were shaking, and every muscle was screaming at her to stop. "Oh, blow me! I ain't quitting," she snapped crassly and gave him a vicious smile.

Shaking his head and chuckling, he purred wryly, "Is that what you tell your suitors too?"

"Hah! Nah, I tell them to kiss my ass," she shot back acerbically. "I won't be kissing yours ever though—even if you _do_ have one of the best asses I've seen. I ain't mesmerized and yer definitely ain't gonna intimidate me with your invasive repartee, bub!"

Vegeta actually guffawed at that before rushing her with another grueling combo of punches and that she was managing to block, but did force her on the defensive. When she spun to avoid an uppercut, he countered with a kick that sent her skidding across the chamber before she grappled with the gravity to stay on her feet. Flipping to avoid yet another kick, she countered with her own series of spin kicks before using her momentum to parry gracefully along her hands to flip and roundhouse him into a low kick that swept him off of his feet to crash heavily to the chamber floor. Sofia went to take advantage and spun for a dramatic drop kick when the gravity changed and knocked her off balance and sent her sprawling onto her side to the tiled floor. Wincing, she struggled to get back up against the pressure of the oppressive gravity while Vegeta managed to get to his feet, but struggled to stand straight under the artificial onslaught.

Groaning between clenched teeth, Sofia climbed to a laborious crouch and snarled. "Fuck me!" she hissed as she forcefully stood straight and fell back into her fighting stance.

"You're not my type," Vegeta drawled as a jab, but his smirk was drawn as he fell back into his own stance across from her.

"Good, I'd wear your ass out anyway, just like I'm doing right now!" Sofia shot back.

Giving each other wicked and derisive looks, they both ended up snickering before phasing out and flying towards each other. Just as their fists found their target, the warning sound rang out and the gravity drastically stabilized, causing their momentum to overshoot them right into colliding against each other and bouncing off of each other to slam back-first into the floor.

"Son of a bitch!" Vegeta shouted while Sofia comically flopped and wheezed, goofy spirals in her eyes as she gasped in shocked pain. "What the hell—?!"

"Alright you two, that's ENOUGH sparring for the day!" Bulma declared over the intercom before the door whirred open and revealed the heiress, who was impatiently tapping her foot while baby Trunks babbled sweetly in her arms, mimicking his mother.

"…Did I win?" Sofia exhaled goofily as she sat up and still had spirals in her eyes.

Rolling his eyes, Vegeta scoffed, "The woman sabotaged the fight, so no—it's a draw."

"Oh, ok then," Sofia chirped before flopping back to the floor.

* * *

"This is so awesome! I can't believe you guys actually developed regeneration chambers. But why are the tanks different?"

"I don't know about you, but the old ones kind of freaked me out. You're just floating in there—what if someone panics while submerged?"

Standing in the cylindrical tank, Sofia watched as the fluid filled all the way up to her neck before the tank began to glow and hum after Bulma activated it. "Good point. Drowning is my _worst_ nightmare," Sofia tensely offered. "Is this what you wanted me to try out the other day when my energy was all out of whack?"

"Yep! I figured it could help rejuvenate you to assist in stabilizing your ki reserves," Bulma replied, smiling congenially.

"This is a complete waste of time," Vegeta huffed as he stood in his tank, adjacent to Sofia's. "I'm nowhere near injured to justify standing in this poor knockoff—"

"Well too bad for you, but we're fresh out of Senzu Beans, so you will spare me the snarky comments and just let the chamber do it's work, got it?!" Bulma snapped, giving him a blazing glare. Sofia whistled and pretended to glance around the lab while Vegeta sputtered indignantly. "Now, both of you just let these do their magic. I'll come back and check on you once the sequence has completed," the blue-haired genius instructed as she confidently left the lab, leaving the two fighters alone.

After a terse silence, Sofia fidgeted in her tank as the liquid began to seep into her skin, creating a tingly sensation that soothed her aching muscles.

"…So is this fluid made up of synthetic Saiyan DNA?" she attempted, glancing over at Vegeta.

"Yes," he grunted, looking annoyed. He was in a pair of blue shorts that contoured to his physique, an irritating necessity since the regeneration chamber worked better with exposed skin. Sliding his glare over at her, he catalogued her exposed physique, musing that her hourglass figure and supple curves would probably lay out his future son if he walked in and saw her in her current state.

Wearing a matching white halter top and high-waist bikini bottom, all of her assets were perky and rounded for the delight of any being into such a physique. Vegeta ruminated that had he come across said physique in his previous service in the Frieza Corps, he and his fellow Saiyan flunkies would've fought for the first turn at bedding her. He remembered how Nappa and Raditz would bellow and roughhouse over certain female trade, musing Sofia would've definitely been the kind of conquest his ex-compatriots would've salivated over while he trumped them in seniority and skill, enabling him to nail the target.

It dawned on him that such a premise felt like it'd originated from a whole other life ago.

"Did you provide the DNA sample for the process?" Sofia inquired, stirring him back to the present. She glanced over at him. Her facial features looked fetching and lovely now with her hair slicked back into a messy bun at the top of her head.

"How the hell else would they've achieved it," he rhetorically muttered.

"Fair," she sighed and rolled her eyes before adding, "I'm just trying to figure out if I'm standing in Vegeta spit-derived fluid—"

"If you were, you should feel honored," Vegeta countered acerbically.

"—Or if you actually gave over blood samples in order to have enough genetic product for the synthesis," she continued, unflinchingly.

Huffing, the Saiyan groused, "Don't remind me. As if I needed to spill more blood on this planet…"

Deciding to veer to another subject, Sofia inquired, "Were you there when Cell blasted me?"

Raising a brow, Vegeta glanced sidelong at her. "I caught the end, yes," he mused, not knowing where the sudden question was leading to, especially from her now guarded expression.

"Huh," she muttered thoughtfully. When she didn't immediately continue, Vegeta assumed she was finally picking up on his terse disinterest with conversational time killing. "It was the first time I felt what it would be like to die."

Disarmed, Vegeta glanced at her again, expression not betraying his curiosity. "Sounds like you're a late bloomer in that regard, especially amongst the group you hang around in," he drawled.

Laughing harshly at that, Sofia smiled, but it didn't reach her crimson eyes. "Yeah, what the hell am I even thinking…you've had to face that since you were just a little kid…how cruel is that," she whispered, her gaze becoming faraway. "I wasn't afraid, but it was the strangest feeling…"

"You didn't die, stealth, so no point in stewing about it—"

"What does it feel like?"

Staring over at her, Vegeta gazed into her eyes, and saw something he hadn't seen in another being before. It wasn't a glib question, or one that she was posing flippantly. She was truly seeking his wisdom on the matter, and her expression was free of guile or self-interest.

Taking pause to find the words to articulate it, his brows smoothened out when he found the perfect way to describe it.

"Like they've yanked the fire out of your belly and torn all sense out of your chest, leaving your mind to hollow out and numb into nothingness. You don't feel anything after," he murmured gruffly.

Sofia nodded as she absorbed his reply. "I felt differently than that—"

"Because you didn't _die_ , like I told you," Vegeta sarcastically scoffed.

"But part of me feels dead," she whispered before shuttering in as she added, "I've felt angry and broken since it happened, so I can't help but wonder if there's different ways of dying."

Vegeta considered her now, recalling her losses in temper and the furious way about her she'd been suppressing on and off. He'd figured there was a lot more to her than the brash, goofy and weird personality she wore like armor, but was surprised by the multi-faceted personality she seemed to be hiding.

"Of course there are."

Sofia focused on him now, confused.

Vegeta continued in a surly mutter, "Part of me died when I fought Kakarot on this miserable planet…then different parts of me died on Namek, and then all of me died at that _bastard's_ hands," he hissed, refusing to reference Frieza by name, continuing, "But then I was brought back to life, and all those parts that died came back as something else."

Brows furrowing, Sofia queried, "So…what're you saying?"

Fixing her with an aloof expression, Vegeta remarked, "I'm saying parts of you gotta die sometimes in order for you to be reborn into something better."

Blinking with wide-eyed wonder, completely floored by the logic, Sofia chimed, "Oh daaaaaamn…that's fucking prophetic!"

Grunting wryly, Vegeta drawled, "It is, isn't it. Count yourself lucky to be graced with my brilliance…"

* * *

Trunks hadn't ever understood the meaning of "quality family time" after a lifetime of dodging the Androids from his time. Sure, he had his mother, and Gohan had stepped in to become a father figure, training him and telling him the stories of the Z Fighters he'd grown up fighting along side, but the threat of annihilation had always hovered prominently over everything. Sitting on the patio and watching his family share in a moment of peace and genuine levity was something he was deeply cherishing, knowing he would eventually return to his own time after everything was said and done. One new, featured member to the positive association now was sitting across from him and laughing brashly at something his father had said. It'd been a wry jab about his former foe Goku, albeit followed by snide roll of his eyes as the woman continued to belly laugh before slapping her hand across Vegeta's back that almost shoved him out of his chair. Having fallen into a peculiar camaraderie—in which the Saiyan prince tolerated her quirky-yet-scathingly boisterous impish personality while Sofia seemed unable to take umbrage or pay the Saiyan's caustic arrogance any mind— after having bonded in their training, Trunks couldn't help but be a little jealous. It was exactly what he'd hoped to cultivate with his father when they'd trained in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, but it never happened. He also found himself wondering if Sofia's improved mood was a result of being able to bounce things off of his father, or if maybe—

"Hey Trunks! You and Vegeta gotta do the dishes after inhaling most of dinner. It's only fair, dontcha think?" Sofia remarked, causing the lavender-haired fighter to startle, glancing back at her while Vegeta sputtered indignantly next to her.

"I have not nor will I _ever_ do menial labor, stealth!" Vegeta barked at her while she grinned brilliantly at his reaction. "You so much as suggest it again—"

"So you're saying you don't want me to cook anymore, that way dishes remain clean?" she cut in innocently, eyes conspiratorially narrowed in a baiting way.

"…I did not say anything of the sort," Vegeta muttered sorely before crossing his arms over his broad chest and sitting sulkily in his patio chair. Bulma stifled a giggle while Mrs. Briefs and Dr. Briefs cheerfully pretended not to have heard the exchange, sparing the gruff Saiyan as he grunted, "The boy can handle the dishes on his own, isn't that right?"

Trunks laughed nervously, "Yeah, sure—"

Sofia tossed herself back in her chair and leveled the fighter with a snarky stare as she drawled, "C'mon, Trunks! I was just messing around. I'll clean up later. I was just hassling you guys."

Brushing his long lavender locks back as he laughed again, Trunks remarked, "Hah, sorry. I guess I got lost in thought."

"What else is new," Vegeta muttered aloofly under his breath as he took a long swig of his beer.

"You'd rather he _not_ think then?" Sofia shot smoothly back at him and slid her gaze mockingly at Vegeta. "His parents are brilliant individuals. It'd be a shame if he wasn't just as smart."

Cradling a sleeping baby Trunks in her arm, with his head propped against her shoulder, Bulma gushed, "She's got you there, tough guy."

Trunks blushed self-consciously before coughing to clear his throat and conceal his bashfulness. "So, do you feel better after using mom's regeneration chamber?" he inquired.

"Actually, I feel really good!" Sofia replied, standing and stretching. "I've felt out of whack for a while, so if I can do this," she remarked as she made a gesture with her hand, spinning her wrist as she conjured her ki to form into a psionic katana without any effort, she held it out and wielded the crimson-energy-formed weapon masterfully before pointing it at Trunks. Vegeta betrayed intrigue in his gaze while the others gaped in awe at the ability as she spun her wrist again and allowed the psionic weapon to fizzle into brilliant tendrils of ki before dissipating. "Oh yeah! Awesome sauce—I'm back to normal—well, as normal as I've gotten used to. Whew! That means when we finally spar using ki, I'm giving you a run for your money, Vegeta," she declared jovially as she sat back in her chair and grinned at the mercurial prince.

Smirking, Vegeta mused, "Sounds cute, stealth. Now, what's on the menu for tomorrow's breakfast?"

"We _just_ finished dinner, Vegeta," Bulma grumbled and rolled her eyes. "You're lucky we're allowing a guest in our home to slave away cooking for you—"

"You all ate too, did you not? I'd hardly call it slaving," Vegeta cut in with a snarky huff, adding with a shrug, "Besides, that's the arrangement Sofia agreed to—"

Startled, Sofia leaned in close, right into his personal space and gaped with shocked wonder into his scowling features. "Whoaaaaaaa…" she blinked comically at him.

"What?!" Vegeta tersely barked, annoyed.

"You just called me by my name," Sofia said in awed triumph, eyes twinkling like crimson stones and smile widening to show off her gleaming fangs.

"…And?" Vegeta drawled dismissively.

In a flash, Sofia had her arms tightly wrapped around his broad, brawny shoulders as she comically hugged and shook him affectionately, eyes crested in joyful achievement as she chirped, "Awwwwwww! We're officially the best buddies ever in the universe then, which is epic and everyone is going to be super jelly and I can shower you with my loyal friendship forever and ever and ever!" As she spoke, she shook him in rhythm to every word, causing Vegeta to stiffen and cringe in appalled exasperation, surly expression going from consternated to a blue blush of mortification that darkened his tanned features.

Everyone else laughed heartily at the display, even at the risk of setting off the hot-tempered Saiyan, who finally growled, "Alright! I get it now get the fu—"

"For being my ULTRA coolest bestest friend, I'm going to cook up a breakfast FEAST tomorrow, and you'll get double helpings AND I'll even let you have seconds!" Sofia interjected merrily as she squeezed him so tightly it caused her to press her cheek against his, making for a hilariously goofy sight, especially when Vegeta's eyes went wide and his flaring temper fizzled at her culinary proposition.

Begrudgingly letting her exuberant hug continue, Vegeta acerbically narrowed his eyes and groused, "I'll continue to allow your friendship, so, best comrades works for me…"

* * *

After Piccolo had agreed with the arrangements Goku made with Bulma, he left the Son home and found himself flying across the sky away from the Lookout, absently in direction of the cave he and Sofia had been sharing as their hideout— _no, not a hideout. It's just a place we spent time in. Nothing more,_ he thought stubbornly, but still found himself heading in the direction of the cave that skirted the desolate wilderness, pining for something.

As he saw the swaths of desert come into view below, he zoomed down towards the area of the wilderness where the lush jungle was flanked by the rocky plateaus, subdividing the area from the desert scape and sandy bluffs just yonder. Descending, he used his agility to traverse the side of the plateau towards the opening of the cave before taking his shoulderpads and turban off so he could move easily into the cavern. After walking in and getting to the back of the cave, he felt his spirits drop at seeing it completely vacant. All the adornments, makeshift furniture—all the mementos Sofia had collected over the years and decorated to make the primitive space warm and cozy were gone. The only thing left was the makeshift fire pit in the center. Dejected, he sat down and just stared down into the soot-smudged pit. It still smelled like a fire had burned in the spot in recent days, and the depleted tinder crumbled under his fingers when he grabbed it and tossed it to the side before grabbing some kindling and starting a new fire for himself so he could stare into the tepid flames as they undulated and lit up the cold cave walls.

Closing his eyes, he focused on picking up the telltale psychic energy that was imprinted in the cave. Thanks to Kami's abilities, he could hone in on the expended energy in a place and use it to cycle back and replay what'd occurred in the space. Sofia's ki shone around him before the cave glowed around him in his mind's eye, showing him her fitful reaction from days before. Suddenly, he looked next to himself and saw her sitting just feet away, with her knees pulled against her chest as she buried her face against her folded arms and wept. He couldn't hear her, but the way her frame shook sent a pang of upset into his chest. Shaking his head, he willed the vision away and clenched his eyes shut as he calmed his breathing in order to let the imprinted scene fade away. Clenching his hands into fists, he dug his nails into his palms as he slammed his fists against his knees and snarled in anger.

"Go ahead, say it." When he didn't receive a response, Piccolo turned his comment inward. 'Tell me what you've been dying to say. There's no point in avoiding it,' he groused.

Nail grunted. 'Now you want our feedback?'

'Yes. What am I…what do I do to win her back?' the usually antisocial Namekian was crestfallen, and didn't want to hear his own thoughts on the matter any longer.

'My son, you just need to tell her how you truly feel, and apologize. There are no grand gestures required,' Kami replied sagaciously, empathizing with his younger counterpart. 'Just go to her, and say what's in your heart.'

Piccolo exhaled a huff, crossing his arms over his chest as his hurt simmered. It'd been ages since he allowed his emotions to affect him so, and he struggled to repress his old defense mechanisms of swallowing hurt and despair in order to convert them into anger and hate. 'I tried!'

'She wasn't ready to hear you then,' Nail remarked tentatively. 'Remember, what was days for you were mere hours for her.'

'That's right. You also have to take into account everything else that's weighing on her mind. Perhaps this time she's taken—going to Capsule Corp, is the space she needed to collect her thoughts. It wouldn't hurt to try again at the friendly gathering—' Kami reasoned.

'I'm not going to pour my fucking heart out to her in front of everyone, old man,' Piccolo barked moodily.

'Did you ever stop to think that _maybe_ that's part of the problem, Piccolo?' Nail snapped. 'Look around you! For three years, you two loved each other openly—but under the condition of hiding it from everyone else, here in this cave. You came here because you longed to let your guard down and pine for her, and you've built it up in your mind that you can only do that here. It's not going to kill you to pour your heart out to her in the presence of others—'

'I DID that already too though!' Piccolo protested in a surly shout.

'Telling Mr. Popo and Kami is NOT the same, so quit being so damned obtuse!' Nail shouted, startling the other two Namekians. 'Look, this isn't three years ago. This secluded and sequestered love affair is _over_ , and it's time for you to take the next steps to forge something _new_ with her, so quit being a fool and make it happen!'

'…Very well said, Nail,' Kami mused, a smile in his tone.

Chuckling self-consciously, Nail remarked, 'I do try.'

Grunting humorlessly, Piccolo muttered, 'Yeah well…you might have a point, so...I'll do anything to fix things and make her happy again."

'Good!' Kami and Nail chimed in unison, very pleased and proud with their progress in chipping away at Piccolo's stubborn will.

Rolling his eyes, Piccolo grunted, 'Thanks for the pep talk, I guess…'


	12. Reconciling Strife

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, the long, simmering wait is over. We have angst, strife, and...SMUT. Thanks for reading this far and being patient! PS - Someone actually said they'd like a playlist of the music Sofia listens to, so I made one. If you listen as you read the chapters, you'll have certain music references I use as markers, so you'll have an idea of when she's listening to certain songs: [Twin Star Mix](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3ErHOTo5D7vkaV3bLnQaDG?si=iEYxETn_Ro-n7iHTb34XZw)

"Speech" 'Telepathy' _Thought_ _*Reminiscing*_

"I can't BELIEVE the amount of food you were able to whip up!"

"Hah, it was actually super easy with all the kitchen amenities you guys have here. But you gotta let me help you with the grocery bill—"

"Absolutely _not_! Don't be silly," Mrs. Briefs fitfully waved away her offer as she took off her apron and tossed it to the counter. "I don't think I've seen Vegeta that happy in a very long time—well, maybe ever. He does love to eat," the blonde giggled. "As a matter of fact, I think that's the first time we've all sat together and had breakfast, ever!"

"Aww, I'm glad," Sofia smiled beamingly as she finished drying the dishes and used her telekinetic powers to store everything in its proper place, leaving the blonde so astonished that her blue eyes actually popped open and shown blue. "Hopefully that'll hold everyone over until dinner tonight. I wanted to spend the day sparring," she remarked as she walked out of the kitchen, only to lay eyes on Trunks, who was already passed out on the couch in an almost identical pose as Vegeta had been in the previous day. "Hehehe, apple doesn't fall far from the Saiyan tree."

Mrs. Briefs gushed at the sight, leaning down to brush his long lavender strands out of his face and behind his ear, without stirring him awake. "I think our baby version also got tuckered out, so Bulma went to put him down for a nap. I'm going to make a fresh pot of coffee and take it down to the husband."

Once Sofia had tiptoed out of the living room, she had time to collect her thoughts, and settled on going in search for Vegeta. While gobbling down a stack of waffles, he'd actually agreed to spar with her in the back promenade of the Capsule Corp grounds. She sensed him still inside the main building, however, so she loped down the hall towards the family's quarters. Before completing turning the corner, she halted and hid when she caught Vegeta and Bulma talking at the end of the hall, next to the closed windows. At first she thought they were fighting, until she heard Bulma sigh, "I haven't thought about it once, actually."

"Is that a fact?" Vegeta drawled, unconvinced. His tone was gruff, but almost playful.

"Listen, buster, you don't get to gallivant on and off planet, strutting around here like everyone's at your beck and call, as if I'm waiting for you—" Bulma began to argue, almost reaching that iconic pitch of hers when she really was going to fly off the handle, when Vegeta surprised her by dropping his crossed arms, grabbing her hand just as she was about to storm off.

Gently, the usually surly prince pulled her back towards him and leaned close to murmur, "You look damned good when you're mad."

Sofia internally fangirl cheered as she saw Bulma scoff, but heard her flirtatiously retort, "Take it in, bub, because all you _do_ is make me mad."

"Well, the feeling isn't mutual, woman—"

"Of course it isn't—"

"If anything, you've succeeded in making me anything _but_ mad right now," he continued, unabashed, leaning closer as he husked, "Care to see what I'm feeling instead?"

Sofia saw Bulma's anger wane instantly, but the Capsule Corp heiress placed her palms flat against his chest, determinedly huffing, "You know what I want to hear first."

Instead of the temper flare up or eye roll Sofia expected, she watched Vegeta chuckle, a gravelly sound as he circled one hand around the small of her back and used the other to crook his finger to tip her chin up so he could lean impossibly close and murmur, "I'll let you be on top."

Sofia clamped her hands over her mouth and tried not to squeal with shocked laughter at that before making sure she used her "stealth" abilities to conceal her presence at the end of the hall so the couple didn't sense her.

"That's _not_ what I meant, wiseass—" Bulma began to snap.

"I know it isn't, but if you're going to give me ultimatums, then you're going to be waiting a hell of a long time. You knew what this was—" he began to grumble, his tone cooling.

"Oh my god, you think I'm pining away for a commitment? From you?" Bulma remarked, actually taken aback. "Vegeta…I just want you, for once, to tell me exactly what you feel, without any bullshit grandstanding or bravado."

"…That's it?" Vegeta asked, suspicious.

Bulma's blue eyes softened as she nodded, caressing her hand up his muscular arm to trace his chiseled jaw.

Exhaling gruffly, Vegeta steeled himself as he thought about the proposition. Just when Sofia thought the cagey Saiyan was going to choose to stalk off instead, she watched as he grunted tersely, "I want you, woman. Right now. And I want you to want me."

Absorbing the statement, Bulma's expression softened sultrily before she surprised him by pulling him over to meet her kiss. Before the lip locking grew too torrid, the blue-haired woman pulled back and purred coquettishly, "Now, was that so hard?"

Smirking, Vegeta chuckled before he pulled her with him into his bedroom as he husked seductively, "Not just yet it isn't, so lets get on with it so I can show you how hard—"

Sofia heard the door shut, mercifully muffling the rest of Vegeta's dirty talk, and allowing her to wheeze threw her clamped hands at how fantastic that exchange had been. "God I love 'shipping them!" she giggled before using her unnatural speed to exit the hallway and head for the lower levels of the headquarters building.

The morning had been absolutely wonderful. She'd woken up after a late night of shooting the breeze and goofing around with Trunks and Vegeta out on the patio. She hadn't laughed and carried on without a care in the world like that in ages. She had a spring in her step, an overall looseness to her body language as she'd cooked up a storm for the family that morning. The peaceful routine had calmed the tumultuous thoughts that had plagued her for days, and she truly relished the change in dynamic in being around the aloof yet kind Briefs. Somehow, having confided in Vegeta about her mindset and hearing his take on things had really put a lot of the gloom in her mind into perspective. Their friendship was a needed and gratifying development for her, and she intended to truly become best buddies with the surly Saiyan. Taking a cleansing breath, she skipped the rest of the way down the hall as she pondered maybe going back to Goku's and smoothing things over better with the Son family. _I was too in my damned feelings…_

Entering Dr. Briefs' lab, she saw him still tinkering over the gifts she'd given him. Across the expansive space, she saw Android 16 was lying on the observation table with two electrodes still plugged into the side of his skull, but he seemed awake. "Oh, come for a visit?" the mustachioed scientist greeted. "I'm just waiting for Bulma to come and check this last backup sequence we ran. Wonder where that daughter of mine could be off to."

Sofia had to stifle a spontaneous chuckle before turning it into a cough as she thought, _Skyrocket's in flight,_ _She's having some afternoon delight~!_ "Oh, she's taking care of something," she replied innocently before skipping over to peek in on Sixteen. "Hey, you awake?"

"Affirmative. System diagnostics have been completed," the hulking Android mused in a monotone. "I should be 100% operational tomorrow."

"Awesome!" she chirped as she went over to lean against the table and smile down at him. "I was hoping you were already back on your feet so we could spar, but guess we'll have to rain-check it."

"That would be an insufficient attempt at preparing for the tournament against Cell," Sixteen stated, glancing at her coolly.

"Damn, that's rude! I know I'm nowhere near as strong as you—" she began to protest, huffily crossing her arms and pouting down at him.

"Incorrect. You are more powerful than I am, so sparring would not serve as a preparatory exercise," Sixteen explained, earnestly staring up at her and catching her surprised glance. "Perhaps once Vegeta is done coupling with Bul—"

"What was that now?" Dr Briefs picked up his head from the device manual he'd been reading just as Sofia placed her hand over Sixteen's mouth and interrupted his comment.

"He said Vegeta is building a battle plan for us to mull over," Sofia hurriedly remarked, nodding vigorously, hands behind her back as she teetered goofily on the balls of her feet.

"Huh…" the scientist hummed before returning to the manual and taking a long swig of his coffee.

Sighing, Sofia shot Sixteen an admonishing glare. "That _was_ the plan, but I can't fault anyone for getting a little afternoon delight in," she whispered, adding quickly, "Anyway, there's no way you can know without being able to sense my power level—"

"Incorrect. There are other data points my calculations are based off of. Your ability to have fought a Super Saiyan Vegeta, as well as your counterattack of Cell after being mortally wounded displays a level of latent strength, that while I cannot register, I can interpret as exceeding my own," Sixteen reasoned, adding, "You've surpassed your battle abilities from the first time you fought Seventeen and Eighteen, which was my base point. If you had more time to train, you could potentially defeat Cell. Probability is 45%."

Blinking wide-eyed at him, Sofia suddenly laughed and waved his assertion away as she whistled, "You are silly as hell, Sixteen! But hey, since we can't spar, I'll quit bugging you."

Waving as she sprinted cavalierly out of the room, Sofia didn't see the frown pull at Sixteen's stoic features at her retreat.

* * *

He truly was smitten.

The concept of it made him anxious and awkward, but the more he spent time with her, Trunks could feel that nervous energy subsiding. She had a knack for making everyone feel comfortable, and the sense of belonging she instilled in him was a kindness he hadn't known he'd missed out on for so long. Gohan had cultivated it first, and after losing his mentor and friend, he'd felt alone and unsure he'd ever feel like he truly belonged ever again. Now, he relished the hopefulness her spirit and genuine presence stirred in him. The time they'd spent the night before had been the most at peace and content he'd been in his life.

_*While the others had eventually turned in for the night, the odd trio had remained, telling stories over beers and watching Sofia goof around, dancing up a storm every time a particular song came over her wireless speaker set out on the patio table. He'd marveled at her ability to sing along, bopping and swaying with some fancy footwork he knew he wouldn't be able to keep up with; dance moves borne of confidence, goofiness and something else altogether. Vegeta had been nice and buzzed enough not to roll his eyes at the display and instead quipped at one point, "Ginyu would've given his left nut to be able to bust moves like that." Sofia had laughed and mimicked the horned Captain Ginyu by posing in one his cringe-worthy stances before going back to dancing in her unique style._

" _It's cuz his team had no ladies on it!" she'd chuckled and wiggled her brows suggestively. "C'moooon! I know my moves are just too good, but yer not gonna let me keep dancin' on my own," she'd quipped as a particularly sultry, rhythm-filled song came on, making her switch up her dancing to a sinuous boogey that had Trunks nervously waving off her invite._

_Vegeta had snorted, eyes narrowed aloofly as he remarked, "Just show the woman how to do those moves so I can appreciate them on my own time."_

_Trunks had balked in mortified embarrassment at that while Sofia cackled and fist pumped in comical agreement, "Sounds like a deal, heheheh."_

_The zeal in her eyes had remained with him when she'd smiled and said goodnight before practically skipping off to bed, making him wish he hadn't been intimidated to dance with her._

" _Boy," Vegeta had grunted after he chugged his 16th beer and walked past him to enter the living area. "By the way she can move her body, she's well versed in carnal pleasures, so she's likely to pop your cherry outstandingly well, as long as you quit being a chicken shit and make a move already," he gruffly drawled before yawning and heading off to his private quarters.*_

Eye twitching at the reminder of his father's crass words of wisdom, Trunks watched her now as she shadow boxed and sparred alone across from him. He steeled his courage, finally feeling confident enough to approach her and tell her he felt the same way she did. For the longest time, he didn't think she felt anything towards him nor that she felt anything close to what he'd come to feel for her. That is, until that morning.

Recalling the conversation he'd overheard earlier in the day when he'd gone down to the kitchen and heard Sofia and his mother chatting while she tended to the breakfast feast she was prepping, Trunks couldn't help replaying what Sofia had said. Hidden around the corner of the doorway from the large yet homey kitchen, he'd taken pause at the mention of her feelings.

_*"—I'm not! C'mon, I just don't see why you can't tell me more. Is it someone I know?"_

" _Would it matter if it was?"_

" _Of course! I could give you tips—"_

" _It doesn't matter, Bulma. He's…well he's in a different place than I am, and no matter how much I want to bridge that divide, I just don't know how he really feels—"_

" _That sounds oddly familiar," he heard his mother sigh. "Let me guess: he's the apathetic, brooding type that puts it all on you to initiate things?"_

" _Hah…" Sofia had chuckled hollowly. "Let's just say I don't think I have it in me to do the initiating right now. But, ugh, I don't know," she paused, seemingly trying to find the right words. "I just wish he would look me in my eyes and tell me exactly how he feels, without being too whatever about being vulnerable—"_

" _Have you told him that?" Bulma tentatively probed._

" _This is going to sound harsh but, I don't think I should fucking have to tell him that! He either wants to tell me, or he doesn't. I'm not looking to drag it out of him," Sofia offhandedly huffed. "Sorry…" she quickly added, sounding rueful.*_

Trunks had sensed his father approaching, so he phased away from his eavesdropping corner to avoid suspicion or ridicule. Had he remained, however, he would've heard his mother ask, "At least tell me he's an amazing lay to be worth all this grief!"

Sofia had given her a wolfish smirk before it slowly crept into a brilliant grin. "He's beyond—like literally a mind-blowing, phenomenal sexual dynamo!" her eyes became hearts as she fawned, "He rocks my world and is so damned sexy—"

"You talking about me, stealth?" Vegeta had sauntered cockily as he entered the kitchen and leaned against the doorframe.

"Hah! Nah, like I told yah, you're not my type," Sofia snickered and stuck her tongue out goofily at him.

"I told you that, actually—"

"True, and I'm confirming!" Sofia declared glibly before whirling around and pointing dramatically to the heiress and prince as she proclaimed, "I would never come between this powerful union right here~!"

Bulma actually blushed while Vegeta scoffed and smirked wryly, sharing a sly glance with Sofia before catching Bulma's gaze. Steeling her expression, Bulma feigned disinterested and nursed her coffee while Vegeta took the opportunity to contemplate her more keenly.

Trunks walked in and caught his father's heated glance towards his mother and awkwardly grimaced until Sofia caught his expression and shot him a silly smile.

That smile stuck with him the rest of the morning.

Focusing on her as she executed a flurry of vaults and flips before spinning into a series of counters and evasions, he swallowed the nervous knot in his throat and decided to tell her exactly how he felt.

Sofia was concentrating on the sequence of kata palm strikes she was practicing before she spun around and threw an open-palmed strike at empty air – and came only inches away from Trunks' face. Startling, she pulled her headphones off and apologized, "Shit! Sorry, I was in the zone and didn't sense you—"

"No, that's my bad for sneaking up on you," Trunks reassured. "Couldn't find someone to spar with?"

"Yeah, everyone's been indisposed, so to speak," she chuckled as she pulled her hair free of the tight bun at the top of her head so it could cascade down and past her shoulders. Glancing at him, she took in his casual threads and smiled, "Skater chic looks good on you, dude." She admired his fitted blue jeans, green high-top sneakers and sleeveless faded orange top with the Capsule Corp logo in yellow on across the chest. His long lavender hair was finely brushing his muscled arms and framing his chiseled face.

Glancing down at himself, he laughed wryly. "Thanks. Mom got these for me. My other stuff is kind of snug now."

"Oh, I can snap an adjusted version for you, don't worry. I like this though. It's a cool look," she complimented and posed next to him as if she was cool skater too in her blue and white color-blocked crop top t-shirt, fitted cargo green joggers and purple high-top Vans. "I don't know how to skateboard though, do you?" she joked goofily, as she went to put away her music player into her backpack.

"Nah, but Gohan told me about it once," Trunks retorted, noticing the new music player as she returned it to its pocket. "You brought back a bunch of new tech, mom told me?"

"Yeah! I kept a few stuff for myself, and man – what a difference! This baby's got literally thousands of songs stored in it. Ain't that awesome?" she remarked as she showed him the player before zipping her backpack and tossing it over her shoulder.

"Totally," Trunks smiled. "Hey, uh, are you doing anything right now?"

"Nope. Why? You wanna spar?!" she inquired, eyes flashing with excitement at the prospect.

"Actually, I was wondering if we could talk," he explained, pausing when Sofia gave him a surprised look. "I mean, we can go do something, or maybe we can—"

"You're right, I get it. You've done enough training and sparring already, so lets do something else," she suggested, glancing up at the sky and chiming, "It's past noon, so we can go grab lunch—OH! I got the perfect place we can go check out, if you're cool with—"

"Sure! Whatever's cool," Trunks smiled, eyes cresting charmingly as he added, "It's lame, but I don't even know anything around here cuz West City is, well, not as bustling in my time…"

"Aw, I know, that's why I gotta show you around, so let's go, follow me!" Sofia tossed her backpack on and jumped in the air and flew upwards as she gestured for him to follow her lead.

Ascending to float next to her above the promenade, Trunks let her lead the way as they began to fly higher until they were at the height of some of the taller skyscrapers in the city. As they flew, he watched her from the corner of his eye as she suddenly asked him, "Tell me: have you ever had a fat, juicy, delicious cheese burger?!"

"Uh, no! Never have—"

"Then you're in luck, bub!" she declared as she reached over and grabbed his wrist before she blasted off at full speed and hauled him along with her. "Your taste buds have not LIVED yet, haha."

* * *

Sofia reached into her bag and fished out the last loose fry before popping it merrily into her mouth. "Damn, I love fries~!"

Laughing, Trunks remarked, "I gotta say, they're definitely tasty."

"You haven't tried your shake yet?!" Sofia balked, picking up the frothy cup and shaking it comically in his face. "You gotta try this after taking a bite of your burger. Seriously."

Following her instructions, Trunks did so, and his eyes widened with wonder at the delicious myriad of flavors that danced in his mouth. Swallowing, he declared, "Holy hell…that's awesome."

"Right?!" Sofia giggled, leaning over and stealing a fry from his carton and earning a chuckle from the blue-eyed fighter.

They were sitting high above the rest of the patrons of Billie's Burgers Joint, literally a story above them, directly at the top of the giant aforementioned Billie mascot's propped up burger. Legs dangling over the edge, they sat close to each other to account for the headphone they each had in one ear. Sofia was playing music for him in between their snacking and chatting. He'd commented about being impressed with her vocalizing of songs when she was idly doing the dishes after breakfast, and they'd got onto talking about music in general. "So, you really think everybody's got a music profile, huh," Trunks remarked as his foot tapped absentmindedly to the beat of the song they were listening to.

"Of course! I'll prove it to yah," she picked up the player and continued, "Name someone and I'll play yah what I think totally encompasses their personality."

"Heh, alright. How about…Krillin," he replied, watching as she quickly scrolled her thumb over the dial and zipped through the vast library of music before easily finding a song and pressing play. Instantly, "Can't Stop" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers began to play for him. As he listened to the lyrics and musicality, he bopped along to it and smiled before conceding, "Damn, yeah I don't know why, but that _does_ remind me of Krillin, hahaha." He chuckled while Sofia shot him a confident look. "Ok, ok, then how 'bout Master Roshi?" he countered, and she quickly found the track she felt perfectly summed up the iconic martial arts master. Hitting play on ZZ Top's "Sharp Dressed Man," which instantly earned a broad smile from Trunks before they both laughed at the spot-on song.

"I'm telling you, I've listened to music and thought about such trivial matters hella hard to come up with this theory. Like, this totally reminds me of Tien," she said as she played him "Hash Pipe" by Weezer.

As he tapped his fingers along with the song, he smiled and nodded in defeat. "Alright, you're 3 for 3. I concede," he joked as he slurped his shake in one long shot and instantly got a brain freeze, earning a laugh from Sofia as she patted his head and ruffled his hair platonically. When he recovered, he glanced at her and wondered if he should tell her now.

"Trunks," he stiffened when her eyes focused intently on his features, as if she'd read his mind. Striking cerulean locked onto blazing crimson briefly, and he felt expectation rise into his chest. Reaching her hand toward his jaw, he paused when she tactically wiped at the corner of his mouth with her thumb just as she mused, "Yah missed a spot!" then found a napkin in her empty bag to clean her thumb with. "Bleh, I hate ketchup. Did you like it?"

The demi-Saiyan's pulse returned to normal as he cleared his throat and mused, "Yeah, it was good. You like barbecue sauce on yours?"

"Yep! I love BBQ sauce. I even like dipping my fries in it," she laughed as she collected the litter and tossed it into the empty paper bag. "You better hurry and finish them fries before I steal 'em!"

"You can have 'em. I've had my fill," Trunks smiled and offered them to her, as he finished his last burger bite.

"Ooo, yummy," she drawled as she polished off the fries, licking her fingers clean of salt before collecting the remaining garbage, crumbling it into a tight ball, and skillfully tossing it down the height they were perched on into a waiting trash can below, next to the patio. "Oh damn, I can't believe this—you'd said you wanted to talk? Sorry I let food and tunes distract me—"

"Haha, it's ok," Trunks waved her fretting off as he struggled to keep his long tendrils of hair the breeze was blowing into his face out of his eyes.

"Hey, I really love the long hair, but it isn't really practical. I should know," she remarked before goofily tossing her hair back in the breeze. "It's gonna get in your face like crazy during the tournament."

"Oh, yeah that's a good point," he mused, lips pressing together in a silly expression as he pulled the headphone out of his ear and handed it to her.

Packing everything up, she remarked, "Let's head back and I'll help you with it." Hopping to her feet, she smiled down and offered her hand to him to help him stand.

Taking her hand, he found himself marveling at the imposing power hidden in the grip as it wrapped around his palm. His hand spanned hers almost twice over, fingertips brushing along the pulse line of her wrist, causing his mind to linger on the feeling of her platonic touch, first so close to his lips, and just now in his warm hand. He wondered what her lips would feel like against his.

When they landed in the backyard of Capsule Corp, just across from the headquarters building, Sofia hopped onto the picnic table near the closest leafy tree and patted the spot on the bench seat she wanted him to sit on before she plopped down on top of the table. "Come on over and let me finesse yer lavender locks, good sir!" she petitioned in a playful carny-like tone, smiling when he looked cagey suddenly. It reminded her of Vegeta from hours before. "Ah, c'mon, I won't bite," she chuckled as she willed her ki into her hand and materialized a psionic pair of scissors.

"Whoa…it's really cool how you can manipulate your ki like that," he remarked, impressed, as he went over and sat down at the spot beneath her on the picnic table.

"Yeah, it's a bitch-level amount of concentration, but now that I can do it again I'm definitely back to 100%," she reasoned as she adjusted so she could sit propped in a way that allowed her to reach for his hair. Combing her fingers through the straight-yet-thick length, she remarked, "I'm only going to trim it so it hits your shoulders. That way it's easier to manage."

When her fingers brushed the nape of his neck, Trunks sat with his back straighter as the tickle skittered down his spine. "Sure, that works," he replied, his tone raspy and tentative.

Unable to read his tone for it's timid quality, Sofia shook his shoulder playfully and barked, "C'mon! I ain't gonna hack it all off. This sexy lavender mane is too iconic, haha." Gathering his hair behind his shoulders and sweeping the soft locks together into a low ponytail, she mused, "You should try different hairstyles the next time you grow it out. Maybe a badass braid, or a topknot?" she chatted as she measured the length one last time before she used her psionic tool to cut cleanly at the top of the ponytail, angled between her horizontally-leveled fingers. His hair fanned across his shoulders perfectly and symmetrical. He watched from the corner of his eye as Sofia brushed at the strands that framed his face to make sure they were even before she smiled, satisfied. "Whew, looking sharp!" she playfully purred and waved his chopped hair at him like it was a duster.

Brushing his fingers experimentally through his new length of hair, he smiled broadly at her. "Thanks for the trim, Sofia," he rumbled, blue eyes warm as he sat up from the bench to sit next to her on top of the picnic table. "I've been meaning to tell you something…and was hoping I could tell you now."

Sensing his shift in demeanor, Sofia placed his cut hair aside and allowed her psionic scissors to fizzle away before she turned slightly to give him her attention. "Sure thing. Is something wrong?" she mused, her brows furrowing as her almond-shaped eyes crinkled softly.

"No, actually, it's something I kind of wanted to tell you for a while, but I guess I wasn't sure if I should," Trunks explained, pausing to lean slightly towards her as he confided, "I – well I've been thinking about everything you've done for us, that is, what you've done for me, and for the longest now I've wanted to tell you how amazing I think you are."

Taken aback, Sofia blinked her crimson eyes and blew a raspberry as she grinned and punched his shoulder platonically. "Ah, you're being silly! I think _you're_ really amazing, Trunks. Everything you've been through and the person you are inspire me to be better. I really feel lucky to know you—"

"I don't just think you're amazing," he continued, startling Sofia when he broodingly glanced ahead and exhaled a sobering breath. "I see how you are and everything you've overcome while I've been too stupid or scared to rise to the occasion. Hell, you even get on with Father way better than I do…and I can't even stop rambling and get to the real point of what I want to tell you."

Misreading completely what Trunks was attempting to do, Sofia interpreted his tense demeanor as a much-needed vent session. "Look, you're forgetting I have an advantage here that no one else does. It's unfair, I know, but you shouldn't get down on yourself—"

Glancing back and into her eyes now, Trunks startled her when he shook his head and declared, "What I've wanted to tell you, for a while now, is how you make me feel. Nothing else. Just that since we met, I thought you were amazing and I just wanted to get to know you more, and now that I've had the chance, I don't want to do anything else—can't think of what else to do or say…"

Before Sofia could process what was happening, Trunks leaned in and kissed her on the lips before caressing her cheek gently with his fingertips. Stunned, her eyes snapped wide, and just as her mind began to race in bafflement, Trunks was suddenly and violently propelled away from her by some force she barely registered breezing by her.

Landing on his back on the grass, Trunks sat up and balked up at the intruder, who'd blindsided him, only to gape in confusion up at the furious towering figure.

Shocked by the sudden arrival and completely overwhelmed with confusion by what just happened, Sofia jumped to her feet and bristled when Piccolo whirled around to stare in resentful anger at her before turning to direct his ire at Trunks as he bellowed, "How dare you touch her!"

Sweatdropping and jumping to his feet, Trunks began to stammer, "W-w-what?!" before Piccolo grabbed him by the front of his shirt and loomed threateningly over him. "I don't understand—!"

"If you _ever_ touch her again—!" Piccolo began to snarl, eyes narrowed into a murderous glare on the befuddled fighter's floored expression.

"Piccolo! Stop – let him go!" Sofia shouted as she tried to intervene.

Furious, Piccolo shoved Trunks back and whirled around to bark, "What the fuck is going on with you?! You shut me out and don't _talk_ to me at all, and now you're with _him_?!"

Recoiling in shock, Sofia snapped back and became livid. "Oh, NOW you give a shit and want to know how I feel?! You didn't give a DAMN about how I felt when you pushed me away and treated me like a worthless weakli—!"

"So because of that ONE fuckup you're with _him_?!" Piccolo growled rapaciously, pointing venomously at Trunks, who was staring in comical mortification between the two quarrelling twin stars, while Piccolo kept his boiling gaze on hers.

"I AM NOT _WITH_ TRUNKS!" Sofia roared, fists at her sides as her eyes became garnet beacons of seething rancor.

Gaze narrowing in simmering bitterness, Piccolo hissed gruffly, "You could've fooled me!"

"I-I-I don't understand," Trunks stiffly rasped out, blue blush making his features looks drawn and pale.

Whirling sidelong, Sofia bristled. "I'm sorry—let me bring you up to speed, Trunks. Piccolo here has spent years so embarrassed to be with me that he would rather act like I'm a fucking reckless liability to him, so much so he's been BERATING ME for something his jealous, insanely stubborn ass has concocted – rather than admit he's being an ASSHOLE and that he's TOO CHICKEN SHIT TO LET HIS FEELINGS BE KNOWN!" Sofia thundered, blistering shout echoing throughout the space and rippling upwards to scare a flock of birds that flew close by.

Trunks stood rooted in his mortified spot as his mind began to recall every single weird exchange with the brooding Demon King, and how upset Sofia had been after he'd entered the time chamber, as well as when she'd stormed off through the mirror. As it quickly dawned on him that what he'd presumed to be terse disagreements between sensei and pupil were actually tempestuous spats between lovers, the naïve warrior's expression shuttered in. It all clicked as soon as he replayed the conversation he'd overheard. She had been talking about Piccolo, and whatever had come to pass between them was turbulent enough to have caused some sort of falling out. However, Piccolo was in love with her, and every surly look he'd shot his way had been borne of jealousy for what he'd picked up so easily that Sofia had been completely oblivious to.

Turning to level Piccolo with a withering look, Sofia murmured fiercely, "You really think I'm such a liability? That I'm too reckless to be trusted? Fine. At least that's _honest_ , but I don't have to accept it!And I will not allow you to make me feel lesser than because you're too fucking scared to let people know how you feel. I'm done with your projecting just because you resent me for the feelings you have. No matter how much I love you…I will not abide it any longer."

Her words were like a gut-punch, leaving Piccolo defeated while Trunks stood, completely flummoxed, as she turned and stormed off back towards the headquarters building. As they watched her go, the two fighters stood silent.

Then, Trunks spoke up. "I kissed _her_. I thought—I heard her talking to mom, and thought she was talking about me…I was very wrong. I didn't know…"

Glancing over his cape festooned shoulder pad at him, Piccolo absorbed his tone, which was teeming with the regret and loathsome self-disdain that was also etched in the demi-Saiyan's face before it hardened into the glower that he'd inherited from his father. He didn't know what to say, but Kami and Nail were shouting suggestions at him. Before Piccolo could muster the gumption to respond, Trunks turned and stalked off away from the headquarters building, head bowed, shoulders bunched up around his ears and hands shoved into his jean pockets. He could sense the turbulence in the fighter's psyche and felt ashamed for having jumped to conclusions in such a spectacularly terrible way.

Balling up his fists in disgust, Piccolo exhaled a harsh growl.

"Fuck."

* * *

The night sky shone inky black – shades of navy undulating across the clouds while the stars twinkled brilliantly, peeking down on the world below. She stared up idly, lost in her thoughts as she sat on the domed roof of the western cylindrical tower of the headquarters building. In her lap she held the Walkman CD player she hadn't paid much attention to since it was returned, completely repaired, days before. Caressing it absently, she lowered her gaze and fought the urge to cry. _How could I've been so oblivious?!_ She thought bitingly, upset that she'd taken for granted all the signs Trunks had given her prior to his kiss earlier in the day. Had she led him on? Glancing down at the player again, she frowned. He'd been so kind and thoughtful – having spent time away from his own training to fix the busted device. That should've told her everything she needed to know. However, her heart had been so angry and hurt towards Piccolo, that she hadn't seen what was so obvious in front of her.

"You're lucky they have pizza delivery on speed dial, otherwise I'd be very annoyed with you not cooking dinner right now."

Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Vegeta land on the same roof she was sitting on, stare aloof and arms crossed as he raised a brow at her.

Sighing, she glanced back down at the player in her lap before she returned it to her backpack for safekeeping. "I owe you a supper feast then. My bad," she responded flatly, glancing back at the night sky.

Grunting, Vegeta sat in a lounging position adjacent to her. The breeze was the only thing to pass between them for a beat, until Vegeta suddenly drawled, "I was really hoping you'd pop the boy's cherry and get him out of his bashful ways, but I didn't account on the Namek actually having more game than him—"

Sofia stiffened and mechanically turned to stare at him with a wide, devolved expression of shock. "What?" she piped.

Vegeta continued, undeterred, "But I guess the whole asexual thing is what led me to assume Trunks had a shot. After all, it's clearly been a while since you've had a good lay. Hard to get a good screw with someone that's got no dick."

Deflating comically at that, Sofia face palmed dramatically before whirling around and announcing matter-of-factly, "Actually, while it _has_ been a while since I've had a nice hot romp, it isn't for lack of Piccolo have a big, thick dick, I'll have you know!"

Startled slightly, Vegeta grunted, taken aback as he groused, "So he's _not_ asexual?!"

"Hasn't been since he met me and we got hot and heavy in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber," she retorted glibly before sighing and lying flat on her back to stare up at the sky. "When did you find out about us?"

"I've seen how he stares at you. You'd have to be a moron not to see it. Your thundering bellows at him this afternoon only confirmed it, but before then I figured it was just some weird touchy-feely airy fairy stuff, hence why I assumed it'd be fine for Trunks to get in—" Vegeta's offhanded comment was cut short when Sofia sprung up and glared with narrowed, glowing red eyes at him.

"You encouraged him," she hissed admonishingly.

"You're catching on. How charming," Vegeta sarcastically deadpanned. "Had I known the Namek claimed you physically—"

"Hah!" Sofia barked harshly as she rolled back into a sitting position to glower at the sky, crossing her arms furiously. "Why's it gotta be that he claimed _me_?! Why can't it be that I claimed _him_ , hmmm?!" she huffed, adding as an aside, "We're twin stars, but I've been the one to have to initiate and nurture this fucking relationship, coddling his obstinate ways and bottling shit up just to keep things copacetic. So I think that entitles me to being the one to take credit for claiming anyone."

Absorbing that, Vegeta inquired, "Twin stars?"

"It's a long fucking story I'm sure you don't want to be bored by—"

"I asked, didn't I?" he grunted, rolling his eyes when she glanced at him with big, wide eyes. "Just get on with it." Sofia sighed, and went into the history, unburdening herself with everything about her and her twin star, and finally filling in a lot of blanks the Saiyan prince had in regards to her backstory and what'd accounted for the turbulent dynamic he'd had a hand at instigating. Once she'd detailed the cosmic connection Piccolo and she shared, Vegeta blew a raspberry and remarked with a sly smirk, "So why aren't you just fucking and getting over your little tiff? Always works for me."

Staring acerbically at him, she groused, "He's questioned my very character by implying I'm just out here being reckless and acting like a liability. You are NOT the only one with pride, alright?"

Amused, Vegeta scoffed aloofly, "That's fair. So then you _will_ throw the boy a bone—?"

"Just cuz you got it in with Bulma this afternoon doesn't mean you gotta concern yourself with everyone else's sex life, Vegeta," she shot back, earning a cagey look to stiffen the mercurial Saiyan's expression. "So did you keep your promise and let her be on top—?!"

"As if I'd give you the satisfaction of detailing my sexual conquests!" Vegeta barked in a comical harangue before snootily huffing and glaring off to the side crisply, realizing she must've caught his flirty exchange with Bulma from earlier.

"Oh, but you definitely wanted a report of if I gave Trunks a ride, eh?!" she drawled impishly, eyes conspiratorially narrowed as she added, "C'mon, tell me it was everything you needed and how good my girl Bulma rocks your world—"

"I'd rather hear about the Namek balling you before I ever tell you my personal business!" Vegeta countered snidely.

"Hah, I'm sure you would! Not every day you come across a very _sexual_ Namekian who is well hung and trained oh-so-well in the art of erotic pleasure," she purred with a tongue wag and wiggled her brows at him boastingly. "Aka, he's fucking phenomenal at being a beast at foreplay and a freak in the sheets!"

Vegeta's expression actually shuttered in at the concept before slapping his palm over his face and grunting, "It's like talking to Nappa, but with tits…"

"Hah! So you mean WAY more substantive AND awesome, eh?" she laughed brashly, grinning wickedly at him when she comically flexed and blew him a goofy kiss.

Vegeta shook his head grudgingly at that, narrowing his gaze cynically as he grunted stiffly, "Scarier…"

* * *

Gohan had laid out his outfit for the party the next day onto the back of his desk chair, excited to see everyone. He was pondering what shoes he should wear when he saw Piccolo land in the yard. Running out of his room to greet his friend, he breezed by Goku just as he'd opened the door to invite his former foe in. "Hey Piccolo! Come on in. Chi-Chi just finished supper—"

"Piccolo, you gotta come help me finish up my outfit choice for tomorrow," the still golden-haired demi-Saiyan greeted and pulled the Namekian warrior into the house.

"And you can't figure that out on your own because…?" Piccolo rumbled, trying to keep his feelings guarded from the Son family.

"Aw, c'mon Piccolo. Don't tell us you're not excited about tomorrow! I know dressin' up isn't your thing, but yah gotta do it. I think Sofia'll get a kick out of it," Goku cajoled as he slapped his hand across Piccolo's back reassuringly.

Piccolo grimaced at the thought of Sofia's furious reaction as it flashed in his mind's eye, unbidden. "I'm not wearing any of your hand me downs…" he huffed as he let Gohan drag him down the hall.

"Heheheh, of course not! Remember all the stuff Sofia snapped for us over the years? We got plenty of stuff for you to pick from that I haven't even worn yet," Goku chortled amiably while Chi-Chi rolled her eyes from where she was standing, setting the table.

"Yeah, and I just need to know which will look cooler!" Gohan remarked as he ran over, grabbed the pairs of sneakers Sofia had made for him, and held them up for his mentor's scrutiny.

Stoic-faced, Piccolo grumbled, "The high-top sneakers, kid. She's partial to those…"

"Awesome! Thanks," Gohan's turquoise eyes lit up as he rushed to put his completed outfit aside while Goku silently gauged Piccolo's curt demeanor.

"So, where've you been? Head up to the Lookout?" the golden-haired Saiyan inquired, slipping his hands into his khaki pockets as he leaned against the wall Piccolo was currently brooding across from.

"No," Piccolo dismissively huffed before reining in his sour temper. "I just went to do something, and it ended up not being productive at all," he shrugged flippantly, adding in a mutter, "You think this party tomorrow is really going to improve morale?"

"Sure! The gang rarely gets together for something fun and positive, so it'll be a nice distraction from the tension of the looming tournament. Might as well take the time to enjoy each other's company—"

"You don't think we'll get to do it _after_ the tournament, because we're going to lose," Piccolo groused tersely, fixing Goku with a surly glare.

"Ye of little faith!" Goku chimed and pointed dramatically at Piccolo, a funny refrain he'd picked up after Sofia had done it tons of times over the years.

Sweatdropping, Piccolo slapped his hand over his forehead and dragged his palm down his face in aggravation. "How did I _ever_ lose to you in battle…"

Goku chuckled irreverently at that.

After dinner, Piccolo went to sit out under the tree in the yard, twilight having long advanced now and the sky filling with stars. He was angry and needing a way to quell his brooding thoughts, so he figured he'd try and meditate, but his counterparts had other ideas.

'You just had to jump to conclusions, didn't you…' Nail posited tersely.

Concentrating, Piccolo stepped out of his consciousness to join the other two Namekians on the central bridge of their conjoined psychic space. Glaring at Nail, he barked, 'What was I supposed to think when I catch her sucking face with—!'

'That is _not_ what happened, and you know it, Piccolo,' Kami admonished, shaking his head while Nail crossed his arms and grunted in agreement. 'You arrived at the tail end, and you did not hear what had been said before Trunks kissed her. Regardless, the boy told you what happened, so get control of your jealousy and think rationally.'

Growling and crossing arms petulantly over his broad chest, Piccolo diverted his angry gaze away from them. 'You heard what she said. I screwed everything between us up for good…'

Frowning, Kami glanced at Nail, who was shaking his head impatiently. 'She did not say such a thing—'

'All she said was that she would no longer abide your dismissive and contemptuous treatment of her! Nor that she was going to accept your selfish grandstanding and obsession with keeping your relationship secret,' Nail cut in, aggravated and no longer wanting to handle Piccolo with kid gloves. 'If you're going to mend things with her, you need to stop being a stubborn, controlling jackass—'

'I think what Nail is getting at is that not all is lost,' Kami diplomatically cut in, smiling patiently as he added, 'You both have needed to get on the same page for a long while now. When she was ready, you weren't, and vice versa. Perhaps tomorrow at the gathering you can pull her aside and talk.'

'And it wouldn't hurt if you acknowledged publicly that you care for her,' Nail chimed in aloofly, rolling his eyes as he relented to following Kami's gentle heed. 'It also wouldn't kill you if you played along and followed the theme of the party like the others plan to. It might be a perfect ice breaker.'

Sighing, Piccolo scowled, but gave a curt nod, acknowledging what his counterparts were suggesting made sense. 'And if all else fails…?'

Glancing at each other, Kami and Nail hummed noncommittally. When Kami nodded knowingly, Nail responded for the both of them.

'If all else fails, get on your knees and beg for forgiveness!'

* * *

Faint light filtered in around her. The glow existed in unrequited darkness, where even the shadows the faint light cast were cold and uninviting. Her surroundings began to focus into tangibility, and she realized that the glowing light came from various candles scattered around the circumference of a post-less and board-less bed. The jagged walls of the dark concave cave were the perches for most of the candles, as was the smoothened rock floor she could faintly feel beneath her feet.

_Wait a minute…_ She thought, feeling an odd sense of déjà vu as she tried to focus further on her surroundings. _Why is this familiar?_

Focus intensifying before her, she realized that she was now lying languidly on the bed, which was shifting under her. The candlelight made her skin glow to an almost statuesque gold tint, and dully she realized she was nude—

_Am I back in our cave?_ She thought, starting to recognize the space, but not understanding why she was there. The soft warmth the candlelight created on her skin illuminated the space faintly, and her eyes couldn't pierce the dark as she'd become accustom to, so she only sensed the other presence that seemed to be watching her from the shadows.

She heard a low rumbling sound, and felt the figure's gaze intensify on her as it stepped from the darkness closer to her. The tall figure still had shadows playing off his form, but his eyes were shining from the faint light, giving them an alluring gleam of polished onyx, a scintillating gaze that sent shivers to the deepest core of her body. The candlelight flared as the figure came closer. Her skin was tingling with excitement – heartbeat rushing as if the space between them would never end. She sat up and leaned forward on her knees, with her hands splayed gingerly on the bed at her sides, when she finally saw the figure's shrouded features come into focus.

The bed shifted under Piccolo's weight, candlelight casting a bronze glow to his usually emerald skin as she realized he was completely naked. Hands trembling, she caressed his chest and leaned into his touch when he cupped her face before running the fingers of his other hand through her hair as he lowered to brush his lips against hers.

Her body began to ignite with the passionate touch of her twin star as his fingers and palms trailed all over her erogenous areas, and incited gasps and sighs from her that if the firm arousal pressing against her lower inner thigh was any indication— were riling him just as much. The pleasure of his actions caused her body to throb and grow whet with excitement, and her eyes began to glaze over with lust that was subtly mirrored in Piccolo's dark pools, as they gazed at her.

She felt his arousal grind lustfully against her, his hot breath trickling over her neck and ear as he finally spoke in a hoarse and almost primal whisper.

"I can't stand not being with you like this."

Humming, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and murmured, "All I want is for you to love me like I love you—"

"I've always loved you," he husked, tipping her face up so he could kiss her fervently as he wrapped his arms around her and pull her against his hard, muscled body.

Sofia gasped, arching against him for more, desperate to have his weight on her and his throbbing arousal inside of her. When she felt him press her down on the bed as he swiftly undulated his hips between her welcoming thighs, she gripped at his back and sighed in delight, hungry for his love. His antennae brushed her skin softly as he kissed along her throat, down to her clavicle before trailing the tip of his purple tongue teasingly, causing her to toss her head back and whimper for more before she wrapped her legs around his waist when he entered her to the hilt and earned a cry of pleasure from her.

His lips were trailing fire across her skin, hands possessively caressing her curves and lovingly prolonging her bliss as his throbbing, hard manhood stroked her trembling sheath, making love to her with such gusto that she saw the air glow and flash around them – the candlelight gone and replaced with the refracting and gleaming ecstasy they both were wrapped in.

Growing taut under him, she gasped before crying out his name, clinging to his powerful body as if he was her anchor and her lifeline.

Eyes snapping awake, Sofia jumped up into a sitting position and in her hyper-aroused state, panted and stared about at the room she was in. The cave was gone, replaced with her guest quarters at Capsule Corp. _Holy shit, that was a dream?!_

Balking, she glanced at the clock and saw it was late in the morning. Her body was still tingling as she tossed the blankets aside and realized she had been sweating almost feverishly in her sleep. Grimacing, she got out of bed and felt her body shiver, but not from cold. If anything, she was burning up, forehead and cheeks feeling scalding to her touch as she fanned herself. "Jeez, it's hot in here!" she huffed and rushed to the room's thermostat, shocked to find it at a cool setting. "Oh man…am I getting sick?" Turning and entering the white-tiled and pristine bathroom, she surveyed her appearance. Her skin had a glow to it, a kind of dewy sheen while her cheeks flushed lightly and her lips looked rosy. Her nipples were perked and denting the material of her cotton nightshirt, earning a confused grunt from her. "Whew…that dream was pretty hot," she mused, shaking her head absently as she turned on the shower and set it to cold water before she stripped out of her night clothes and hopped in.

Perplexed to feel just as feverish after taking the cold shower, Sofia dressed in Capsule Corp-branded sweats – a blue tank top and leggings – and left her quarters, trudging lamely down the hall towards the living quarters as she pulled her hair up in a messy bun. Turning the corner into the kitchen, she was shocked to find a casually attired Vegeta begrudgingly sitting at the kitchen table, glaring with a surly glower at the doorway she'd just come through. "Took you long enough!" he barked at her, earning a sweatdrop and a devolved expression of bewilderment from Sofia.

"…Have you been waiting for me to come down and make breakfast?!" she inquired as she idly rubbed at her burning forehead.

"You dropped the ball with dinner last night, and now this," he grumbled, crossing his arms over his black sleeveless top-clad chest in a gruff snit. "I'll accept brunch as a means of equalizing things."

Face faulting to the kitchen floor, Sofia took her time climbing back up, pulling herself up to stare with flustered aloofness at him. "I'll make brunch, as long as you help a bitch out and make her a drink to take the edge off," she drawled comically.

"I don't do menial labor, remember?" he drawled, idly stretching in his chair. "But, the liquor's in the top cabinet above the fridge."

Dragging herself up to peruse the kitchen for enough food to choke a lion, she muttered, "What're you gonna do when I leave, buddy?"

"I will starve," Vegeta remarked laconically, eyeing her as he added, "It's a real shame to waste your cooking on someone who doesn't even eat."

Sofia snorted at that, closing the fridge and beginning to prep the multiple dishes she was going to whip up. "Piccolo eats! But no, he's not a foodie or anything, so I don't cook much for him. Crashing at Goku's these years has definitely kept me sharp in the kitchen," she remarked congenially as her skilled hands flew about, fancy knife work that was _not_ just do to culinary prowess, swishing and slicing through the air as she artfully diced ingredients before tossing them into a sizzling pan. "I could manage well enough before, but Chi-Chi is an excellent cook."

"I figured there was a reason Kakarot kept the shrew around," he muttered nonchalantly as he leaned casually against the table, watching her work. "If only the woman or her mother could fare better. Their cooking is abysmal—"

"Ugh, if you start criticizing, I ain't gonna keep cooking!" Sofia sniped at him, not liking his disparaging tone. She was feeling almost feverish, and not in the mood to abide too much of his snarky airs.

Grunting at that, Vegeta's glare narrowed as he snapped, "What's with you? You were chipper enough last night." He paused as he keenly sized her up and sensed something heightened in her.

"I woke up feeling out of it," Sofia remarked before inhaling a calming breath, causing her nose to twitch suddenly. Whirling around, she narrowed her gaze on the Saiyan. "…You smell really good today. New cologne?" she inquired, delicate brow raised.

He wrinkled his nose at the notion. "As if I'd spray chemicals on myself to smell like a dumb ass human," he grunted disdainfully.

"Huh…" she mused before shrugging and returning to preparing the gargantuan amount of brunch food she quickly laid out in front of him before sitting across from him with her own bloody Mary to sip on. As she watched him heartily scarf down, she replayed the dream, fixating on how Piccolo had possessively taken her. Her cheeks flushed and her body grew even warmer, causing her to shake her head and grumble, "Ugh, I feel so weird for some reason."

"You smell weird too," Vegeta mentioned before shoveling a helping of hash into his mouth.

"I do?!" she balked, self-conscious.

"Not bad, but weird," he remarked, pausing to find the right descriptor. "You smell warm and spiced. Which is odd, but not unpleasant."

Comically lifting her arm and sniffing herself, Sofia earned a scoff and eye roll from Vegeta. "Oh, so where's everyone else? It's oddly quiet around here," she remarked before she drained the remnants of her drink.

"They're in the Atrium preparing for some asinine gathering," he grunted as he sat back and sighed, full and sated. Blinking at him, she stared until he continued, "Did she fail to mention the party?"

"Party for what?" she inquired.

"What am I, the event planner?! Go ask Bulma—"

"Ooooo, you called her Bulmaaaa~, which means you love her," she purred in a singsong at him, earning a consternated blush from the mercurial Saiyan. "Ah, c'mon! We're the bestest buddies now. No need to feign nonchalance."

"Anything to distract from your own dramatic spat with the Namek, I see," Vegeta countered instead, smirking.

Sighing and deflating in her chair, Sofia pouted as she grumbled, "I had the most sexiest dream about him and I think it's left me all hot and bothered. Ugh, why's he gotta be so damned…sexy."

Grunting at that, having gotten an earful about the odd couple's dynamic history the night before, Vegeta prodded, "So you're no longer mad at him—"

"I'm _FURIOUS_ at him!" she declared, ominous rage aura flaring around her even while she comically barked, "And all I wanna do is pounce on him and ride him until I'm no longer furious!"

Shaking his head at the display, Vegeta surprised her by saying matter-of-factly, "Sounds like we alphas just have discerning appetites when it comes to the important things."

Recovering from her surprise at his flippant compliment, Sofia chuckled and nodded in agreement. "Damn straight."

* * *

As soon as she entered the Atrium, she was surprised to see Mrs. Briefs arranging a long banquet table of refreshments and finger foods while Bulma oversaw the hanging of party decorations. Cradled against her side, baby Trunks was cooing along with his mother as she pointed and told future Trunks how to adjust the disco ball over the dance floor she'd had set up.

"Whoa, what's all this for?!" Sofia exclaimed, smiling as she walked over to greet baby Trunks.

"Oh great! Can you hold him for me? I need to tell the caterer where to park, and see if they delivered enough ice," Bulma listed as she handed the baby off to Sofia.

"Doesn't it all look wonderful? It'll be so nice to have everyone over again for a fun party," Mrs. Briefs declared, smiling at Sofia before excusing herself to go help Bulma manage the remaining arrangements.

Looking down perplexed at Trunks, she drawled, "Can you tell me what the occasion is?"

"Mom invited everyone over for a party to unwind before the tournament. Her and Goku thought it'd be a good idea," the more strapping version of Trunks replied after approaching her tentatively. "They'll start arriving after noon. I take it Mom forgot to mention it," he remarked, giving her a meek smile.

Frowning, Sofia sobered before murmuring, "I'm really sorry about what happened, Trunks! I didn't mean to be so oblivious—"

"Hey, I'm sorry for assuming things. I definitely read into things—" he interjected.

"I feel horrible that I led you on—" she began to sadly muse.

"No, no you didn't. That's what I mean. I thought about it, and you didn't really act any different with me than you did with the others. I just read into it what I wanted to…I should've talked to you sooner," he explained, feeling bold and settled after analyzing everything the night before. "I didn't mean to get in the middle of things…"

Baby Trunks was staring between his future self and Sofia before suddenly tugging imploringly on her top. Glancing down at the baby version of the handsome fighter before her, Sofia couldn't help self consciously smile before wiping the stray tear that snuck out of the corner of her eye with the top of her shoulder.

"You didn't. Piccolo and I have drifted apart and I don't even know how it happened, but it did, and I can't blame anyone but myself," she whispered before shaking her head and giving him a beaming, reassuring smile. "You're one of the greatest people I've ever met, Trunks. Thank you for being so amazing with me."

His blue eyes softened, surprising her when he platonically punched her in the shoulder and groused, "Right back at you, Sofia."

Laughing, Sofia felt a sense of relief come over her as she let her guard down and continued chatting with the lavender-haired fighter until Bulma returned, looking a bit harried.

"Whew, they're setting the barbecue up now, and we should be all set," she remarked as she took baby Trunks back into her arms. "Oh! I was going to mention it, but with finishing Android 16's diagnostic before he took off, I spaced out," Bulma explained to Sofia.

"Aww, he left?" Sofia frowned, wishing she could have said goodbye to the gentle Android giant.

"Yeah, but I'm sure he'll be at that tournament," Bulma mused, cuddling Trunks when he started to fuss in her arms. "Oh, by the way, this party's a 'Fight Gi Free Zone,' so I picked out a cool outfit for you to wear, Trunks," the sea foam-haired woman remarked to her blue-eyed son from the future, startling him.

"Mom, you don't have to dress me, you know," he mused a bit touchily, earning a giggle from Sofia.

"So everyone's coming dressed all cool and casual like?" Sofia inquired, smiling when Bulma nodded eagerly.

"That's right!" the brilliant scientist remarked, adding, "Oh, and that reminds me, we'll need someone in charge of music, and I figured you could help set things up."

Smiling enthusiastically, whatever trepidation Sofia had begun to feel about partying with the tournament looming was dashed. "Awesome! I'll grab my stuff and set it up," she declared beamingly before she went to give Trunks a side-hug as she mused, "I'm going to need you to help be my musical wingman, buddy!" Laughing, Trunks was no longer uncomfortable with her platonic energy or affection, but he did find his nose twitching at the spicy scent coming from her, just as she added complimentary, "Ooo, you smell good today!"

"I do?" Trunks chuckled, charmingly smiling when he remarked, "I was just about to say the same thing to you. You seem different today too."

Mrs. Briefs walked up and heard the compliment. "Wow! Your skin looks radiant! Did you do something different? Facial mask?"

Bulma blinked, noticing what her mother was referring to. "Yeah, now that you mention it, your skin looks dewy and glowy today. I'm jealous!" Bulma chuckled while baby Trunks babbled for attention.

"Nothing different, but I am running a little hot today. I hope I'm not coming down with something," Sofia remarked before pivoting back to the subject of the party. "Anyway, let me go get my stuff and I'll set up the sound system!"

After Sofia and Trunks set up the speakers and connected her laptop, she excused herself to go get ready before guests arrived. Having still felt unnaturally warm, she took another cold shower and found herself feeling scorching regardless. _Ugh, at this rate I definitely must be coming down with something. Blegh._ Staring at her reflection, she decided she would wear her hair up in the messy bun, but found herself not wanting to be stifled by a lot of clothes.

By the time she walked back down and entered the Atrium, Krillin, Yamcha, Master Roshi and Oolong had arrived. The Kame House crew was jovially chatting with the hosts and Trunks was manning the playlist for her. When she entered, Yamcha and Krillin had to pick up their jaws at seeing her dressed so uncharacteristically.

"Hey guys! Looking sharp," Sofia greeted warmly as she approached, not realizing they had been leering at her until Master Roshi – dressed in his favorite blue suit – cut in between them and rushed forward to greet her, with his hands held out in an air-groping gesture, before Oolong bonked him on the head and dragged the lecherous old master off to the side. "Uhhhh, what's up? Why're you looking at me like that?!"

Trunks – wearing light blue jeans, red sneakers, and a black shirt – joined the group and answered for the others, diplomatically complimenting, "You look really nice, Sofia!"

"Y-yeah! I guess we were shocked to see you in a skirt," Krillin – dressed in a jean jacket, orange polo, khaki shorts and blue top siders– nervously chuckled, rubbing the back of his baldhead absently.

"C'mon guys, she looks like a completely different person!" Yamcha – dressed eerily like Don Johnson from Miami Vice – declared emphatically, earning sweatdrops from the others as he adamantly remarked, "That radiant glow, those soft supple curves—and not to mention the killer flirty ensemble! She's a friggin' fox!" before sliding over to whisper in rapt awe at Krillin, who blushed when the scar-faced fighter wheezed, "And I don't think she's even wearing a bra!"

Sofia tipped forward in a slight mortified dive before catching herself. "Jeez, was I a dog before?!" she quipped sharply. "I know I told yah to think of me as one of the guys, but jeez!"

Yamcha slid over to Trunks and elbowed him jovially as he whispered conspiratorially, "You're a lucky man~!"

"Uhhhh," Trunks grimaced comically, long hair brushing his now stiff shoulders while Krillin laughed and Master Roshi recovered to approach them again.

"Yer lookin' fetching, my dear!" the old master smarmily complimented, instantly honing his pervy gaze at her perky breasts nestled snuggly in the top she was wearing. "If only I was a few years younger—"

" _Only_ a few?!" Oolong chastised before Master Roshi bonked him admonishingly on the head.

"Alright, that's enough leering from all of you!" Bulma – wearing a form-fitting strapless lilac dress and matching sandals – barked at the horny males as she authoritatively instructed them to go get refreshments and chill.

"What was _that_ all about?" Sofia chuckled self-consciously.

"Wear a skirt around this group, and you'd think they devolved into game-less cavemen, I swear," she huffed before looking around Sofia and smiling. "Well well, he actually showed up," she murmured, causing Sofia to look behind herself and see the Badman, antisocially by himself, leaning back against the tree he was standing under across the way in the sprawling indoor park. Wearing a V-neck navy blue cashmere sweater, dark grey tailored trousers and black leather loafers, he looked absolutely bored as he stared aloofly to the side, arms crossed over his broad chest.

Sofia whistled, playfully nudging Bulma as she drawled, "It ain't a pink shirt-green pant combo, but he looks good enough to eat, girl. You better tap that tonight."

Covering her mouth as she giggled, Bulma swatted her arm playfully. "He cleans up quite handsomely, I suppose. I just might tell him so later," she sighed with a silly lilt to her voice as she winked at Sofia before she looked over and smiled when she spotted the newest party arrivals. "Hi, Tien and Chiaotzu! So glad you guys made it," she greeted as the triclops and his small companion walked over.

Sofia turned, and caught the slightly wide, startled gaze the two friends exchanged before staring back at her. "Hi! Wow, you sure look pretty, Sofia," Chiaotzu – wearing a mandarin collared yellow dress shirt and emerald green trousers – genuinely smiled and complimented as he floated over to greet her.

"Aww, thanks, Chiaotzu! I love your outfit," Sofia smiled before eyeing Tien comically and bouncing her eyebrows at him. "Hubba-hubba, Tien Shinhan~!" she whistled before adding, "I love this look! It's so Bruce Lee chic."

Wearing a fitted white button down tucked into slim black trousers with matching polished dress shoes, the triclops actually blushed at her compliment. "Uh, not sure who that is, but thanks," he remarked stiffly and bowed, earning a giggle from Sofia and Bulma.

"He's like, a super badass Kung Fu master from my old realm. Oh! I'll have to show you some of his movies sometime," the red-eyed woman assured and remarked convivially.

As they chatted, Master Roshi and Oolong socialized with Mrs. Briefs and the doctor over by the punch bowl, while the others came back with their refreshments and joined in, catching up on the happenings of the last few days. Sofia sipped her cocktail while the boys carried most of the chatter, allowing her to idly realize she could smell each, and every fighter's scent – while distinctly different, appealed to her for some reason. When Yamcha began to regale Tien and Chiaotzu about the ridiculous World Martial Arts winner who'd been making the rounds on TV, Sofia heard Mrs. Briefs shout a very enthusiastic greeting from behind the group.

"Oh, hi Goku! Oh my gosh – is that you, Gohan?! You both look so different!" the blonde marveled.

Just as the men parted to turn and see the new arrivals, Sofia caught sight of the Son family as they were saying their hellos before her gaze honed in on Piccolo, standing behind them. Her heart skipped a beat when his aloof gaze moved from the couple exchanging greetings across to hers, where it widened and froze in disarmed attention.

Piccolo's jaw tightened as he gulped, his pulse racing as he saw Sofia standing out amongst the group. 'She looks…so beautiful,' he murmured in awe at his counterparts.

'Go tell her so!' Nail cheered, earning a grunt of approval from Kami.

"Hey Sofia—whoaaaaaa!" Goku began to greet before comically rushing over to survey her with wide, turquoise-eyed wonder. "You look so girly!"

Staring wide eyed back at Goku, she was still trying to absorb why her heart was racing suddenly when she finally comically narrowed her gaze at the taller fighter. Before she could bark at him for the weird compliment, her mind honed in on his outfit before snapping back to see how Piccolo was dressed as well and giving them both comically floored stares. _Oh my god!_

Goku and Piccolo were dressed exactly like Bill and Ted from _Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey_ – Goku wearing Bill's outfit: long sleeve green flannel button shirt, yellow t-shirt, grey jeans and blue high-top Adidas; only thing missing was the red hat – while Piccolo was dressed like Ted from head-to-toe: faded red t-shirt under a salmon-colored long sleeve hooded shirt, red jean-jacket vest, dark blue jeans, and the same white Adidas sneakers, including the green laces. She remembered having snapped those outfits for Goku a long while ago, almost as a joke, never thinking she'd ever see the combo worn by her friend, let alone by her twin star, ever. She stared back at Piccolo as she inwardly fawned at how absolutely sexy and handsome he looked.

"Wow, Sofia. You look lovely!" Chi-Chi – dressed in a flowing turquoise dress with her long black hair down behind her shoulders – complimented with genuine congeniality.

"Yeah! You look pretty," Gohan – wearing in baggy jeans, high-top Adidas like Goku's and a skater-theme purple-dyed t-shirt – cheerfully complimented as he gave her a goofy thumbs up of approval.

Everyone greeted the Son family merrily while Sofia smiled and complimented Chi-Chi and Gohan on their party outfits. She was unaware that Piccolo had used the diversion to avoid greeting the others so he could instead linger by one of the park benches across from the dance floor. From the safe distance, he exhaled the breath he'd been holding since he'd laid eyes on his twin star. Her long, dark brown hair was twisted up into a messy bun, with rogue strands coming down to frame her face. The backless white halter top accentuated her delicately sloped shoulders and teased a hint of clavicle, while the petal pink A-line high-waisted flared mini skirt showed a tease of her slender waist and curvy hourglass shape. Her bare, smooth legs looked inviting to the touch, and the deep blush-colored ballerina flats created an ombre effect that allowed her radiant features to stand out more. His eyes lingered on her countenance. Her cheeks were slightly flushed and her lips were rosy, crimson eyes looking captivating as her long dark lashes batted at something Goku was saying to her. He couldn't get over how absolutely breathtaking she looked.

While lost in thought about how to approach her in the middle of the party, Piccolo only realized Trunks had approached to stand next to him when the fighter cleared his throat. Crossing his arms broodingly, Piccolo glanced sidelong at the lavender-haired fighter, expression stoic.

'You should talk to him,' Kami coached.

'What? Why would I?' Piccolo grunted.

'Because you could BOTH use more friends,' Nail muttered, almost judgmentally.

'I'm terrible at small talk,' Piccolo grumbled.

'And you're never going to get better unless you try. Now, go on,' Kami cajoled.

Reticent, Piccolo tried to think of what he could possibly say after the awkward exchange that had occurred the day before, when Trunks sipped his drink before steeling himself. "When I heard Sofia talking to my mother, she'd told her how all she wanted was for you – well, she didn't mention you by name, you see – but she'd said she just wanted to be told how you feel about her, without worrying about being vulnerable," Trunks explained clumsily before committing his nerve. "It's none of my business and I'm sure you do _not_ care to hear my opinion, but, with the tournament looming, there's no better chance for you to tell her how you feel while you still have a chance."

Absorbing the other man's words, Piccolo dropped his arms to his sides before exhaling a cleansing breath and giving Trunks a curt nod. With his mission accomplished, Trunks loped away towards the booth where the music was playing.

'What a mature, thoughtful young man,' Kami mused.

'I didn't sense an ounce of resentment or hard feelings, Piccolo,' Nail chimed knowingly. 'No better time like the present to go talk to Sofia—'

"Oh my goodness, is that Dende?!" he heard Bulma shout excitedly.

Glancing up, sure enough he saw the young new Guardian of Earth meekly come in, accompanied by Mr. Popo. "Hi, Bulma. I hope we're not intruding, but Gohan said we could stop by," the Namekian smiled when his friend Gohan rushed over to greet him, followed by the others.

"Of course! I'm so happy to see you. How's being guardian going so far?"

Everyone chatted congenially over snacks and refreshments before Sofia and Gohan decided to pull Dende onto the dance floor as Trunks played the dance music mix Sofia had given him the thumbs up to cycle to next.

Sofia was having a blast as she and Gohan did their silly dance formation for the new guardian before cajoling the others to join them on the dance floor. Looking around, she tried to spot Piccolo, when Chi-Chi actually marched up to her and asked if they could chat. While some of the more extroverted Z Fighters cut a rug to the upbeat Daft Punk song, Sofia and the raven-haired woman went to the side to chat, sitting on an empty bench across from one of the picturesque bridges in the enormous indoor park.

"Look, I feel horrible for waiting so long to apologize to you, and I didn't get to give you a proper apology the other day—" the woman tearfully began, startling Sofia before she felt compelled to lean in and hug Chi-Chi reassuringly.

"Chi, you do not need to apologize to me. I love you and forgave you the moment you said it," she genuinely assured, shaking her shoulder sweetly when she added, "You've been like a sister to me. I owe you and Goku so much. I'm sorry I didn't say it better last time. So, lets forget about all that and go back to how things were, ok?"

"I'd like that," Chi-Chi smiled and hugged her, sniffling slightly.

"Hey, you two ok?" Goku inquired as he came up to check on them.

"Sure we are, Kakarot!" Sofia barked as she jumped up and playfully punched him on the shoulder. "I don't want either of you to worry anymore. I've been a total brat lately, but no more."

"Aw, I'm glad you're feeling better!" the jovial Saiyan beamed, scratching the back of his golden-spiky-haired scalp.

"Oh, I gotta tell you something, actually, if that's ok with you Chi-Chi," Sofia gestured for the legendary fighter to follow her to the picturesque bridge so they could chat privately.

"Sure! I'm going to see if I can help Bulma's mom with refreshments."

"What's on your mind?" Goku asked once they were both alone on the bridge, away from the bustling party.

"So, you know I can't tell you too much, but I figured I should let you know that your plan? On building an addition to the house? You should totally do that…just, it won't be for me, but you'll totally be needing it soon," Sofia remarked carefully, leaning against the bridge railing as she glanced at her friend.

"Huh?" Goku gave her that dumbfounded look of his. "Why would we need the extra room then?"

"Maybe you and Chi-Chi will need it, buddy," she smiled, winking conspiratorially at him. "I'll still come and visit you guys, but you don't have to worry about making room for me, is all."

"Well, if we need storage space, I just use my Grandpa's house—"

"Goku. Look at me," Sofia comically gestured to her face, winking slyly as she actually said, "Wink, wink? You know? You and Chi-Chi expanding your family, aka needing more room for said growing family?"

Pursing his lips as his brows furrowed in concentration, Goku brought his hand to his chin as he pondered, "Hmmm…"

"What're you two conspiring about?"

"Oh, hey Vegeta!" Goku affably greeted and waved at his former foe.

Glancing towards the other end of the bridge where Vegeta seemed to stealthily appear, Sofia patted Goku on the shoulder as she answered, "Just discussing remodeling plans. Fancy seeing you looking oh-so-dapper at an actual party."

"I'm only here for the barbecue," Vegeta haughtily mused as he crossed his arms and glared at Goku. "You look like an even bigger idiot dressed like that, Kakarot."

"Awww, c'mon! I think I look cool," Goku affably chuckled in that irreverent, umbrage-free way that so annoyed the Saiyan Prince.

"You do! Now, let's go dance, Kakarot, and leave Badman to be the resident wallflower!" Sofia cackled maniacally as she grabbed Goku's wrist and dragged him behind her speedily to the dance floor.

"I'm no kind of flower, stealth!" Vegeta shouted in outrage from where they left him to brood.

From his perch on one of the observation ramps high above the circumference of the Atrium, Piccolo watched as Sofia went back into the crowd. He frowned, having hoped he could've phased down and had a private moment with her.

'Would you just go down there, halt the music, and tell everyone how much you love her already?' Nail cajoled sternly.

'Nail…' he growled warningly, watching as Sofia danced with Goku and the others, showing off her dynamic and expert moves that only Gohan seemed able to keep up with.

'It would at least be better if you mingled instead of antisocially keeping your distance,' Kami assured.

Pondering the suggestion, Piccolo phased down to stand under the large tree that faced the dance floor down the hill, leaning against it with his arms crossed as he watched Sofia laugh and smile.

"Hi, Piccolo!" he turned when he saw Dende and Mr. Popo come over to greet him. "I wanted to say hello before Mr. Popo and I headed back to the Lookout," the young guardian smiled, eyeing his outfit with wonder. "I'm going to have to get used to the vibrant garb people wear on this planet, haha."

"That'll be the least of the weird stuff you'll have to get used to, Dende," Piccolo smirked. As he chatted with the young Namekian, the others went over to partake in the sprawling barbecue buffet the catering staff finally wheeled out.

Goku and Vegeta literally sprinted to get ahead of everyone; earning a hysterical hearty laugh fit from Sofia as the two Saiyans actually began to comically nudge each other out of the way to get to the meat carving station. Bulma huffed while Chi-Chi scoffed in embarrassment as the other Z Fighters laughed or shook their heads ruefully at the display.

Before long, everyone was sitting around and enjoying the meal over drinks and pleasant conversation. Sofia and Trunks chatted about music while Vegeta and Goku wolfed down food across from each other at the end of the table, even making that a competition. The table was laden with side dishes, appetizers and more laid out family style while everyone dug in and passed platters about. Munching on a helping of fresh, cool salad and crisp veggies, Sofia smiled as everyone conversed around the table. Suddenly feeling a spike in feverish heat, she glanced around the table to see what she could partake in to help quench her heightened craving. "Ooo, Krillin, can you pass that bowl? Those look delicious!"

"Sure!" the former monk grabbed the bowl and passed it down to Sofia.

"Mmmm, I can't remember the last time I had one of these!" she remarked with gusto, crimson eyes twinkling as she eagerly picked up a crisp, cool whole pickle out of the bunch.

Piccolo had just started walking over from where he'd said his goodbyes to Dende, approaching the long banquet table to try and be more social and find his opening for conversation when his gaze froze and honed in on Sofia putting the long, girth of the pickle into her mouth to suck the juices off of it with gusto. Eyes shrinking to pinpoints at the oddly erotic sight, the Namekian warrior gulped and felt his libido rise.

"You _would_ be into pickles," Vegeta muttered humorously from the end of the table while Goku blinked at him, confused by the pun, cheeks ballooned out from the amount of food he'd shoveled into his mouth.

Just when Piccolo could feel the violet blush begin to creep up his neck to burn across his cheeks, Sofia bit down into the pickle with a ruthless chomp, humming with delight as she chewed.

'Oh my!' Nail and Kami tisked in shock while Piccolo's blush turned blue and he dejectedly turned on his heel and stalked away from the banquet table in a mortified retreat.

Vegeta choked on his laugh and almost did a spit take of the food and beer in his mouth at catching the Namekian's about-face out of the corner of his eye once Sofia had devoured the clearly phallic food item. "Whoa, you gotta chew your food thoroughly, Vegeta!" Goku warned comically while the other Saiyan continued to struggle to laugh.

Unaware of what the two Saiyans were going on about at the end of the table, Sofia daintily wiped the corners of her mouth before she declared, "Alright, back to the dance floor!"

The party hit its stride after everyone had eaten, leading to a bustling dance session where Sofia cajoled and literally dragged Z Fighters out to move and shimmy to the music. The disco ball glittered the strobe lighting about while "I'm Still Standing" by Elton John belted out of the speakers. Glancing around every chance she got, she tried to catch sight of Piccolo, but didn't see her twin star brooding off antisocially anywhere. When Yamcha spun her around, she giggled and focused again on her surroundings, taking the chance spin to grab Tien – who'd been standing coolly on the sidelines chatting and watching Chaiotzu dance – and pull him onto the dance floor as well. The triclops' wide-eyed horror was quickly diffused when his companion cheered him on and Sofia bopped and undulated masterfully around him as she recited goofily, "It's-all-in-the-hips~!" as she danced. While she swayed and threw her hands up in the air to shimmy, Master Roshi's sunglass-covered eyes were avidly watching her generous cleavage bounce with her undulating movements, causing the master to quickly succumb to a massive nosebleed while Oolong scoffed in disgust next to him.

Out of the corner of her eye, Sofia caught sight of Bulma handing a sleeping baby Trunks to her mother before loping over to tap Vegeta on the shoulder. The mercurial Saiyan was feigning disinterest as he watched the others dance from the side of the bar he was leaning his elbow against. Instead of the coarse glare typical of the man, his gaze slightly softened when he realized it was Bulma. Heart warming at the sight, Sofia couldn't help wish Piccolo would come up to her and sweep her off her feet and into his arms. She fantasized about everyone parting to make way for him so he could stride towards her, take her hand and spin her around romantically before dipping her in his arms. Her cheeks began to burn with a blush that made her pulse race and temperature skyrocket, so she excused herself from the dance floor and rushed over to get something to drink to try and cool herself down.

"You're a dancing fiend out there!" Goku cheekily exclaimed when he came up with Gohan in tow.

"Of course! Someone's gotta excel at it around here," she giggled as she swung her hips and swayed to the beat. Even when she was dancing goofily, her rhythm and prowess made it look effortless.

"Well we're danced out!" Chi-Chi declared with a sweet smile as she walked up and caressed Gohan's blond head affectionately. "Time to head home and rest, you two."

"Awwww," Goku and Gohan complained in unison, wide turquoise eyes and twin pouting expressions directed at Chi-Chi.

"Ah, she's right, you guys. It looks like the party is winding down anyway," Sofia remarked as she gestured towards the patio table with a sleeping Master Roshi, who had a snore bubble going in his right nostril while the dance floor began to clear as well.

"Oh, ok. But we gotta do these more often! We had a blast," Goku declared, smiling winningly at her.

After saying goodbye to the Sons, she went over and helped Trunks wind the sound system down, saying her goodbyes to some of the others as she approached. Noticing Mrs. Briefs struggling to carry a fussy baby Trunks while also helping her husband, who'd drank way too much punch, walk, Sofia rushed over and offered to take the baby upstairs and put him to bed, sensing Vegeta and Bulma making themselves scarce, for obvious carnal reasons.

"You go on. I'll help clean up and put things away here," Trunks reassured as he helped his grandmother take Dr. Briefs upstairs.

"Cool. Bye, guys! Get home safe," she waved to the others as the remaining Z Warriors said their farewells.

Once she was in the baby's nursery, she found herself having to entertain the precocious tot, who was in no mood to go to sleep just yet. "Ah, c'mon buddy, I know you're cranky, but it's time to sleep," she quipped affectionately as she rocked him along to the beat of a song she was thinking about. "What, want me to sing so we got something to dance to?" when the baby babbled, she laughed. "Hmm, fine. How 'bout…" she cleared her throat before humming the bars of the song that was stuck in her head. "It's a little bit funny, this feeling inside, I'm not one of those who can easily hide. I don't have much money, but boy, if I did. I'd buy a big house where we both could live…" she sung in a breathy tone to the baby as she rocked him gently in her arms. Trunks stared up at her with sweet, innocent blue eyes, his fussing quieted. "My gift is my song, and this one's for you. And you can tell everybody this is your song. It may be quite simple but now that it's done. I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind. That I put down in words. How wonderful life is while you're in the world,"she whispered, cradling his head as he snuggled against her neck, just under her chin. His sweet scent made her feel a fawning love and protectiveness she hadn't been aware of before; kissing the top of his head, she soothingly rubbed his back, continuing to rock him softly as she hummed melodiously under her breath, "And you can tell everybody this is your song. It may be quite simple but now that it's done. I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind. That I put down in words. How wonderful life is while you're in the world. I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind. That I put down in words. How wonderful life is while you're in the world~."

Feeling the baby calm as he fell asleep in her arms, she gently placed him down into his crib, making sure not to stir him. Smiling down at the adorable tyke, she soundlessly tiptoed out of the room and shut the door. Leaning against the door thoughtfully, she sighed to herself as her thoughts lingered on the affectionate stirring of something gentle in her heart.

"That song was nice."

Startling slightly, she glanced down the hallway, surprised to see Piccolo standing there. Her heart skipped a beat, pulse racing like before. Forcing her features into a stoic semblance of calm, she mused coolly, "Where've you been? I didn't see you much…"

Piccolo crossed his arms self-consciously. "I know…I kept hoping to have a chance to get you alone—"

"Of course," Sofia betrayed a hint of irritation in her expression, turning to lope down the hallway. "Why would I expect you to make any effort to acknowledge in front of others how you feel—?"

"Sofia, wait—" Piccolo grabbed her hand and stopped her haughty storm out. The skin-to-skin contact shot a pleasurable tickle up her arm to skitter down into her womb, making her feel effervescent, while her touch and being so near her now were causing his pulse to race and temperature to spike. When she turned to glower furiously at him, instead of shrinking in his resolve, he persevered against the frustration and anger that he normally would've allowed to call the shots. Instead, he confidently wrapped his arms around her as he muttered, "I spent the whole damn time standing around getting up the nerve to tell you exactly what I feel, but I—I couldn't get the courage to do it in front of everybody. I know that's what you want—" he rubbed his palms affectionately up her bare arms, causing her knees to get weak and butterflies to flutter in her womb while her scent made the blood coursing hotly in his veins zip down his body. The more his warm, powerful touch caressed her, the hotter her skin grew and the more her eyes softened, leaving her red irises glowing sensually up at him. Pausing, he felt the electricity of her chemistry tingle through her soft, supple skin. She smelled divine to him, and he found himself pulling her against him. "I'm sorry, I was being an asshole—"

"Piccolo," she whispered hotly, hands pawing up his chest as she melted against his hard, muscled body and wrapped them around his shoulders before murmuring, "Stop talking and kiss me already."

Pulse racing and body throbbing with need, Piccolo did as he was told and brought his hungry lips down to capture hers, kissing her with passion. The sensation was like burning ignition of the wanton desire that was coming alive between them the more he touched her and the more she pulled him closer.

Her body was growing impossibly hot, her yearning seeming to throb and tingle inside her. Piccolo realized he'd pressed her against the hallway wall and was caressing his hands up her thighs, coming dangerously close to pulling up her skirt. Just as he regained enough sense to slow down and suggest they go somewhere else, Sofia grabbed him by the front of his clothes and pulled him along with her to rush towards the opposite end of the hall towards the bedroom she'd been staying in. As soon as they entered and shut the door, Sofia was pressing him back-first against the door as she kissed his throat and caressed her hands up his sides.

His body was burning with arousal as he shook off his shock to finally pick her up and bring her up to press possessively against his chest, allowing her to wrap her arms easily around his neck so they could kiss lusciously. His hands caressed her backside and held her in place as she wrapped her legs around his waist while he pressed her against the wall and himself. They kissed for a short eternity then, his purple tongue caressing hers before delving into her mouth to steal a gasp of excitement from her lips. She could feel the hard ridge of his arousal straining for release against his jeans, and she panted when he kissed a scorching trail down her jaw and neck to lick a studded nipple over the fabric of her halter-top. Her skin was blazing now and igniting a ravenous passion within Piccolo, one that quickly spurred them to make their way to the large bed.

Letting her slide down his body, the usually imposing warrior chased her lips down as she forcefully tugged his layers off. He grunted when Sofia possessively pulled the clothes off his torso in such a way that left him blinking in awe down at her before she pushed him onto the bed, pulled her hair free and shook it out before she pounced onto him. Their shoes went flying and Sofia's halter-top hit the carpet at the same time as his jeans fluttered heavily to the floor next to it. Rolling on top of her, Piccolo trailed his lips down her body as he took her skirt off and tossed it aside. "You're so beautiful, you know that?" he husked as he pulled her panties down her long legs and tossed them without taking his eyes off her radiant, sensual form, stretched out under him in her nude glory. Her skin was smooth and scalding to his touch, breasts rising and falling as her chest heaved a steading inhalation before exhaling in a heated sigh.

She watched him with baited breath as he continued to kiss down her body until he was between her thighs, where he kissed her passionately, lips delectably mouthing her before his tongue twirled against her folds and pressed up against her hidden bud while his hands continued to sensually caress her breasts and trail down her sides to grip her hips. Gasping, Sofia trembled and shivered under the onslaught of pleasure his mouth was causing her as he hungrily weaved his tongue in the way he knew drove her wild. Using the tip of his tongue, he flicked languidly at the pulsing bundle of her clitoris, shooting sparks of pleasure to skitter up her senses. "Piccolo—!" she whimpered, her thighs clenching against him as she squirmed in ecstasy under his oral lovemaking. "Ple-please—I need you," she gasped, hands gripping the bedding under her as she tossed her head back and cried out his name again, eyes squeezed tight from the rapturous throes as she whimpered at a particular flick of his tongue against her quivering clitoris.

"Say it again," he growled, hungry gaze darting up to watch her shiver and mewl in desperate need for the press of his tongue and lips.

Excitement tickled up her spine as she murmured, "Please, I _need_ you," and was rewarded with the sensation of his velvety, warm tongue delving inside her. She gasped and pressed the back of her hand against her mouth in an attempt to stifle her cries of pleasure. Growling, Piccolo trailed his palm up her body to caress along her side to her throat to encourage her not to stifle the glorious sounds she was making. He possessively trailed his fingers along her lips after she gripped his forearm and gasped in exhilaration. She licked his fingers and sighed in pleasure at his all-encompassing passionate attentions. Humming against her pulsing bud now, he pursed his lips over it and pressed the flat of his tongue against it when she arched and moaned in ecstasy. Feeling overwhelmed by the blistering arousal and nerve-melting pleasure of his mouth on her, Sofia cried out in a hearty whimper, "Oh god, _yes—_!" before hiccuping murmurs of his name as she grew taut and gasped in gratification, back arching off the bed while her eyes fluttered shut as she panted softly.

His pointed ears felt hot from her thighs pressing against them, allowing him to hear the pulse of her femoral arteries thrumming in time with her throbbing flesh he still had his mouth pressed against. Her climax tasted like honey to him as he hummed against her, the heady effect of driving her to come undone just with his artful tongue leaving him feeling drunk on the sinful achievement. Kissing her warm, glistening flesh with pride before licking his lips as he crawled back onto the bed to trail his hungry kisses back up her body, Piccolo pursed his lips over her right nipple and hummed around the flesh. She sighed in delight, caressing her hands over his pink-patched shoulders and down his emerald back, loving the tickle of his antennae as they trailed along her skin teasingly from his ministrations.

Rolling him to lay on his back under her, Sofia pressed her hands down on his firm pectorals as she straddled him and smiled sultrily down at him before leaning to flick her tongue playfully against the bulbous tip of his right antennae and earning a startled growl of pleasure from the Namekian. Now it was her turn to possessively map his body with her mouth, having long committed his multi-textured skin to memory with her lips, but now under her feverish heat, she wanted to trail her tongue along every seam, muscle, and delicate erogenous zone. So, she did, taking her time at laving her tongue against spots that caused him to groan, tense, and gasp with pleasure – like his inguinal red seam, where she nipped and soothed the flesh with her tongue. Groaning, he shuddered under her ministrations, and her mouth wasn't even on his cock yet. _Dammit—_ His breath caught in his chest as he bit down on a moan at the feeling of her nails dragging sinuously down his sides before she hooked her fingers in the waistband of his underwear and pulled, finally freeing his throbbing, hard erection.

Now both completely naked, Sofia smiled seductively at him when she palmed his thick, warm flesh before kissing it. Her dark hair caressed languidly along his skin as she leaned teasingly close and blew cold air over the head of his ramrod erection, causing it to twitch in her feathery grasp. The silken, heavy drag of his cock in her hands sent a pulse of arousal down to her core, making her inner muscles clench in anticipation of soon having the thick of him fill her. Piccolo groaned at the feeling of her lips wrapping around his cock before sucking and humming with pleasure around it, feeling himself shudder when she laved her tongue around the head before flattening it against the slit. Growling, he suppressed his impulse to buck his hips up to drive himself into her delicious mouth, breathing becoming harsh as he panted in desire, loving being driven wild by her oral attention. Fingers digging into the bedding under him, he was reminded of the sex dream he'd had where she'd done exactly what she was doing now, only her warm mouth now was actually bringing him to the verge of climaxing much quicker than he desired. "Oh _fuck_ —!"

She hummed around him, twirling her tongue across the sensitive tip of his throbbing cock; sinfully stroking her fingers around the shaft and feeling it begin to twitch against her tongue. Piccolo suddenly grabbed her, pulling her off, and tossed her onto the bed, earning a startled yelp from her as she bounced on the mattress before he pounced on top of her and hurriedly got between her welcoming thighs. Sofia saw the flustered, stubborn violet blush burning his cheeks and knew why he'd stopped her oral teasing. "Hmm, I wanted to taste you," she friskily complained as she caressed his brow and trailed her fingertips to his cheek, causing him to grunt wryly while his hand gripped the base of his cock painfully in attempt to pull back from the precipice of coming too quick.

"After the way I watched you suck and bite down on that pickle, I might be a bit wary," he joked is a gravelly tone, smiling when she giggled and arched into him playfully.

"Oh, is that a fact?" she whispered teasingly as she squeezed her knees around his hips.

He grunted affirmatively, releasing the grip on himself to trail his hand down her body as he began to press his hard flesh into her tight sheath, thrusting home with practiced skill. Gasping, Sofia clung to him as he entered her and caused her body to tingle with desire and tension. The feeling of the thick of him pressing into her had muscles straining, feeling taut as they gripped possessively around him. The intense sensation was enough to fill her core with tingling fire. Nuzzling him, she whimpered for more, tossing her head back when he began to stroke his thick, heavy cock into her tight core with artful, pumping thrusts. Kissing and panting as their lovemaking became passionate, the twin stars were hungry to reach bliss in each other's arms. When Piccolo pivoted his hips at a practiced angle and caused Sofia to cry out in a breathy gasp, he repeated the thrusts over and over again, leaving only the sounds of their breathing, skin colliding against skin and their hot cries of pleasure to fill the room.

Changing positions, Sofia rolled him so she could straddle his hips, riding his cock with expert prowess as she clutched at his broad, muscled chest and bucked down against the burning strain in her thighs. Piccolo lustfully gazed up at her as she rolled her hips over him, driving him deeper into her quivering, contracting sheath. He kept his hands on her waist as she set the pace of their lovemaking, earning pleased growls of pleasure from him as she gasped and tossed her hair back. His hooded gaze watched as she rode him; intoxicated by the molten heat of her tight, silken core taking his throbbing erection deeper, impossibly _deeper_ with every undulating buck of her hips against his lap. She gripped his red-seamed wrists as she felt herself close to climax again, whimpering his name and blushing after he sat up and wrapped his arms around her just as she cried out and grew taut, arching and trembling as the throes of pleasure eclipsed her. "P-Picc-oh- _loh_!" She moaned, tears in the corners of her eyes at the sheer, exquisite, hypersensitive sensation of being with him like this again. Kissing her ardently, he led her back down onto the bed and prolonged her ecstasy by undulating his hips to stroke his throbbing cock within her clenching, shuddering core until she wrapped her arms around him and begged him for more. He found himself buzzing with pride at the sensation of her slick essence coating his pulsing erection, her body clutching around him eagerly, so when she clung to him and murmured, "I love you so much, Piccolo. It's hurt so much not to be with you like this," he thought he couldn't feel more triumphantly content than he did in that moment, because his entire _being_ felt exactly the same. Combing his fingers through her hair to then caress the backs of his knuckles along her cheek, Piccolo was disarmed when she whispered, timidly, "All I want is for you to love me like I love you—"

"I've always loved you," he husked, tipping her face up so she could look into his earnest, unguarded gaze. Sofia's own were gleaming crimson gems, beckoning him for more. He kissed her fervently then, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her against his hard, muscled body. The sense of déjà vu lingered in her mind minutely before she abandoned all anger and resentment she'd harbored against him, especially when he nuzzled her lovingly and murmured, "I will always love you, Sofia."

Tears catching in her throat, she smiled up at him before cupping his face in her hands and leaning up to kiss him with every fiber in her being.

Deepening the kiss, their tongues twirled seductively against each other as Piccolo let her roll him again, but this time so he could lean his back against the wall above the headboard-less bed while she straddled him as he possessively caressed and clutched at her curves. When the walls of her tight core hungrily gripped around his throbbing length, he groaned, growing impossibly hot as he gripped her hips while she set the exquisite pace and sequence of clasping warmth and undulating strokes that drove his cock deeper before squeezing greedily around it. Beginning to pant as she drove his arousal further and further to the point of titillating tingle that made him feel like his loins were burning with need for release, Piccolo growled gruffly as he blushed violet and panted hotly against her lips.

She licked his lips tantalizingly before pressing their foreheads against each other as they began to plateau again towards a scintillating climax together now. Feeling each other acutely fall into sensual rhythm, he gripped her against him while she worked her hips over his lap in an ardent roll that drove him deep into her shivering sheath just as she moaned and cried out his name. She clung to him and buried her burning face against his neck as he pumped a few more bruising thrusts into the heavenly heat of her core before he reached climax, groaning from low in his chest as his entire body clenched in sated bliss, pressing deftly against her after he powerfully drove his cock to slide home to the hilt – spilling his seed deep inside her.

Sofia shivered and sighed contentedly as she rested her head against his shoulder, relishing in feeling him reach completion. He was still embracing her possessively to him, his arms trembling slightly as he tried to recover from the mind-blowing orgasm when she was suddenly struck with a moment of clarity.

"Piccolo," she whispered wistfully as she kissed his jaw.

"Hrmph?" he grunted drunkenly, eyes opening to hoodedly glance at her. When he saw how hers were glowing like blazing rubies at him, he tensed. "What's wrong…?" he muttered hoarsely.

"Don't be mad, but, I just realized something," she purred, adjusting to lift her hips – freeing his still-hard cock from her molten sheath, but still be on his lap so she could stare openly into his eyes as she rested her hands on his shoulders soothingly.

"…What?" he rumbled, idly caressing his hands up and down the curves of her sides, as he flicked his stare down her body before darting it back up to her glowing crimson eyes as they appraised him with a burning yearning.

"Remember I told you Kyouran used to take pilgrimages to isolate in the snowy mountains? I didn't tell you it was to avoid going into heat…" she murmured, licking her lips as she teasingly bucked her hips to rub her warm, excited womanhood against his still hard erection, hoping the reference to her past life's practice would dawn on him.

"So—? Oh…" He sweatdropped when he realized what she was doing with her hips, how sexually aroused he still was, and how her delicate nipples were still taut as he gulped and read the mischievous look in her eyes. "So _that's_ why you smell so fucking good," he gruffly drawled, leaning forward to kiss along her jaw before realization slapped him. "Wait—what's this mean?! Are you gonna get—" he riled in rising panic before Sofia hushed him and pressed him firmly to lean back against the wall.

"No, silly! I told you I have that taken care of, but I guess I can't avoid going into heat," she remarked reassuringly before pondering, "This hasn't happened since we were in the chamber—"

"Don't remind me," he grumbled, remembering how his once asexual status starkly got canceled out when she'd gone through the change and activated his dormant sexual reproduction, causing him to manifest the manhood and aching spheres that were throbbing for attention between her welcoming thighs. "But why now?" he wondered, perplexed.

"Babe, think about it. When's the last time we had sex?" Sofia remarked wryly.

"…Dammit. It's been a month, almost exactly," he responded tersely, blushing so deep that it crept up the length of his pointed ears. "So I guess to prevent you from going into heat—"

"I gotta get regular amounts of sex from you. Hah! Even _more_ proof your stupid sex fast was nothing but trouble. I was wondering why everyone smelled so good today—" she began to remark when Piccolo's stare narrowed.

"Why the hell were you smelling everyone?!" he growled jealously.

"Hey, I wasn't going up and sniffing people! It was just like, my sense of smell was heightened, and all the guys smelled good. So, I guess that means, if you don't keep me sexually sated on the regular, my senses will seek out someone who will—" she provocatively jeered, feigning like she'd really have to consider the notion.

"Like hell, you will," he huffed with a surly glower. "Fine! Fasting was completely pointless and selfish," he groused, pouting when she giggled. "And I'll be sure to keep you properly fulfilled so you _don't_ ever go into heat and smell anyone else's pheromones ever again." Piccolo's grumble didn't match the hungry, confident expression that settled over his features as he leaned in and teasingly brushed his lips against hers.

"Oh sure, act like it's a favor you're doing just for me," Sofia purred as she rubbed her hand down his washboard, pink-patched textured abs and slipped it between their bodies in order to palm his hard, throbbing erection, slickened by their co-mingled essence of her climax and his thick seed.

Groaning, Piccolo smirked before he kissed her lips hungrily, growling between each kiss, "I-never-said-such-a-thing."

"Hmmm. So? What're you gonna do about this?" she smiled against his lips as she continued to kiss him in time to her stroking his thick, warm and lubricated cock, appreciating as it twitched and throbbed in her palm.

Scoffing, he playfully wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her down to lie on the bed as he purred in a velvety husk, "Make up for lost time!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! This was a chapter that's been long coming - pun INTENDED. I rewrote certain sections several times. It was honestly a bit of a challenge, because I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone and be very descriptive in the smutty sections, which has not been my style previously. Hopefully it was a titillating read and I didn't scare anyone off!


	13. Rekindled Equilibrium

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of action towards the end of this chapter, but before then, some rekindling of things between the twin stars. Aka, a smidge of smut~!

"Speech" 'Telepathy' _Thought_

Dusk had long come and gone beyond the blinds of the sliding patio door, giving way to twilight. Completely sated and lounging in the disheveled bed, Piccolo was reclining with a pillow propped to allow him to sit up slightly, while Sofia cuddled against his side with one arm folded over his chest to allow her to comfortably rest her head. He was idly strumming his fingertips along her back while she slept, a gentle, soothing gesture that gave him peace in his repose, the sheet barely draped over his hips while it was tucked snuggly under Sofia. He smirked, replaying the way she'd reacted while he'd sexually ravished her until finally reaching a level of completion that had quenched all ravenous desire and pent up release caused by her state of heat.

"Check you, looking oh-so-pleased with yourself."

Glancing down at her and seeing her gleaming crimson gaze playfully glancing up at him, he smirked. "Did I tell you how beautiful you are?" he rumbled sexily, not even batting an eye when she impishly scoffed and adjusted to curl up and lay with her head on his shoulder as she hummed knowingly at him.

"Alright, stud muffin," she huffed mischievously at him before kissing his jaw and cuddling him. "I just might let myself go into heat more often—"

"Don't you even think about it," he offered, raising a brow ridge admonishingly at her. "This was not the kind of thing I want to repeat again."

Slightly wounded, Sofia pouted, "You don't want to have crazy-good amounts of marathon sex with me?"

"Of course I do! But I'd like to do it NOT at Capsule Corp, with Vegeta only yards away, and on a bed I'm too tall to sleep on," he shot back glibly, earning a sweatdrop from Sofia when she sat up, and looked down at the foot of the bed to see his feet were indeed stretched out past the mattress, even with him semi-reclined to sit up at the head of the bed.

Blinking comically back at him, Sofia suddenly started giggling hysterically, eyes cresting as the bout of laughter increased when he rolled his eyes and wrinkled his nose peevishly at her. "Ok, all valid points. But I'm _not_ going back to the cave. It was nice, but I don't want to sneak around anymore," Sofia sighed as she earnestly murmured the latter half. "I'll have to find somewhere of our own, with a bed that you actually fit in," she mused, leaning into his warm touch when he exhaled through his nose and cupped her cheek with his palm, trailing his thumb affectionately along her cheekbone.

"I know. I'm sorry…that should've been temporary, but I got complacent. Once this tournament is over—" he paused when Sofia sat up and pulled him close, hugging him lovingly.

"Don't worry about it, I don't want to think about that right now," she murmured, kissing his temple before allowing him to wrap his arm around her to pull her against him, so she could snuggle him again.

Grunting a tense exhale, Piccolo remarked, "I was a complete jackass. I let my insecurities dictate my feelings about you being involved in everything."

"I didn't handle it right either, Piccolo. I got so in my feelings, I couldn't do anything but be mad and hurt. I'm sorry," she whispered and kissed him.

'…Does this still bother you?' he attempted telepathically, smiling when she let her guard down and their rapport engaged.

'Not now, but it was so booming before. It was like a megaphone amplified in my head. It made my bones shake,' she explained, closing her eyes and resting her forehead against his to concentrate more.

'I'm pretty sure that's Kami's fault. After we merged, everything went sideways,' Piccolo muttered, concentrating on focusing the level of psychic power so as to not jar her anymore. 'It's like my telepathic calibration went out of whack. I still have to train it to hone these new abilities better.' Eyes closed, he allowed himself to see her in the shared astral plane of their rapport. She was wearing a delicate, flowy white gown as she appeared before him.

'How _are_ things with Kami? He and Nail getting along in that noggin' of yours?' she quipped affectionately, winking at him as she floated impishly around him, amused that he pictured himself in his trademark purple gi, shoulder-padded cape, and turban, even in the astral space.

'Ugh…they're thick as thieves, always tag teaming me with their opinions,' he grumbled, scowling.

'Well with your super powerful psychic powers now, can you work it so I can go and say hello? I can tell them to stop picking on you,' she playfully suggested, totally expecting him to refuse haughtily at the notion.

'…Actually, yes—think that can work, I just need to guide you into my conscious and over to the central bridge we three share,' Piccolo remarked self-assuredly, taking Sofia by surprise.

'Really?! I totally expected you to say no—'

'Why? It'll be the perfect chance to shut them up and prove we're in a much better place than we were before. Plus it'll be nice to see the look on their smug faces,' Piccolo reasoned, comically assertive in his rationale while Sofia shook her head ruefully.

'Alrighty then, lead the way,' she smiled, concentrating with him to traverse his conscious. The last time they'd done so had been to unlock his memories – the ones involving his sire and her past life that had been sequester by Kami – but now they would have to go beyond memories to reach the unique threshold where he ended and the other two merged Namekians began.

Feeling herself float along his side through barriers, she was surprised to emerge with Piccolo through a trembling psychic wall into a vast space with one long walkway that stretched across the expanse of the psychic space where the three Namekians could actually meet face to face. Across the way were the paths that intersected with his. One side was Nail's and the other was Kami's. In the middle of their intersecting paths were the two Namekians. Sitting across from each other in the lotus position, they were both looking down at cards, with a few strewn before them.

'Do you have any fours?' Nail inquired.

'Nope, go fish!' Kami replied.

Blinking at the odd sight, the twin stars glanced at each other before Piccolo cleared his throat. 'We have company, you two,' he muttered sternly.

Glancing across at them from their cards, Nail and Kami blinked wide-eyed at seeing Sofia standing next to Piccolo. 'Oh my! What a wonderful visit,' Kami remarked as he tossed his cards down and got up to stand.

Nail frowned when he glanced at Kami's remaining card hand before swiftly standing as he muttered, 'Kami, c'mon, cheating at cards? For shame!'

Grinning comically, the elder Namekian replied, 'I was _just_ keeping the game interesting, my friend.'

'Hmph,' Nail grunted dryly before glancing unconvinced from the elder to Piccolo and Sofia. 'I take it things are smoothed over between you two?' he remarked knowingly and winked at Sofia as he added, 'Hope you finally cracked the whip with him!'

'Nail, shut it,' Piccolo groused as he crossed his arms and scowled at the implication.

Sofia winked conspiratorially back at Nail as she replied coolly, 'Piccolo tells me the ones cracking whips have been you two. I'm here to tell you to stop picking on him—'

'I wouldn't call it being 'picked on', actually—' Piccolo began to protest.

'The only one who can pick on him is me, so leave my sexy twin star alone, you meanies,' she continued unimpeded while Piccolo twitched in embarrassment next to her as she pointed at his counterparts and wagged her finger at them admonishingly.

Sweatdropping, it took Nail and Kami a second to register the absurd sparkle of mischief in her eyes before her grin widened impishly. Laughing, they left Piccolo to glower in a surly huff. 'Har-dee-har,' he grunted. 'Are you satisfied? I told you we'd work things out—'

'Oh sure, you did, but give us some credit in helping you navigate things,' Nail cut in offhandedly with his hands on his hips while Kami hummed and nodded.

'We're both very pleased to see you've rekindled things,' the elder Namekian remarked neutrally as he smiled at Sofia. 'He was absolutely hopeless without you—'

'Dammit, old man! She gets it. Stop laying it on so thick,' Piccolo haughtily grumbled, actually pouting at feeling embarrassed.

Sofia laughed, loving the tit-for-tat repartee between the three. 'I know he can be a surly brat, so thanks for helping him. If I contributed to any angst and conflict between you guys, I'm sorry,' she genuinely remarked, eyes brimming with emotion. Nail smiled while Kami's expression softened.

'Don't be. We live with him too, you know,' Nail quipped.

Kami smiled. 'He's stubborn and dense, but we knew he would eventually do the right thing and mend things between you—'

'You know I'm _right_ _here_ and don't need to be spoken about so cavalierly,' Piccolo tersely huffed, temper vein popping to life at his temple.

Chuckling humorously at his reaction, Sofia sighed, 'Anyway, we wanted to come and say thank you, to you both, for being so loving and patient and wonderful—'

'Speak for yourself,' Piccolo mumbled under his breath.

'—and always understanding, no matter how fucking annoying we twin stars are!' Sofia continued pleasantly, ignoring his surly mumble and smiling beamingly as she added, 'And dealing with the raunchy amount of makeup sex we're going to be having!'

All three Namekians face faulted to the ground at her rambunctious comment while she giggled impishly.

* * *

As dawn's rays began to bleed through the patio blinds, Sofia stirred to turn and face away from the sunlight. Curling against Piccolo's chest, she purred and smiled in her sleep as she felt his arm circle her and possessively hold her to him before he sighed a contented exhale and nuzzled the top of her head.

Caressing a hand along his back while sliding the other under her pillow so she could adjust her position to allow her access to kissing his throat, Sofia hummed against his Adam's apple when his hand trailed up her spine to tangle in her hair while the other groped up her thigh to pull her leg over his hip as he rolled to be on top of her. Sofia _relished_ the feeling of his warm weight on top of her. _I missed this so much_ , she thought, internally buzzing with affection and desire for him.His antennae caressed the top of her tussled bangs as he traced kisses along her cheek while he allowed the slow, teasing friction of his body against hers to stir excitement and make her quit pretending to be asleep.

"I know you're awake," he murmured before kissing her on the lips.

Sofia fluttered her lashes before staring seductively up at him and smiling. "I like your take on 'rise and shine,' babe," she playfully murmured back as she stretched under him, purposely rubbing her breasts and the apex of her womb against his warm, hard body.

He grunted, savoring the feeling of her smooth, warm body nestled under his. _Fuck, I missed this_ , he thought, grunting before sitting up on his forearms to frame her head and shoulders as he remarked, "You're lucky Kami taught me how to erect privacy walls to keep him and Nail from hearing your dirty talk. Doesn't mean I'm going to let you seduce me so early in the morning after all the sex we had last night."

Pursing her lips wryly at that, Sofia feigned aloofness as she shrugged and dragged her nails teasingly down his back, earning a shiver from him. "You're the one doing all the seducing," she purred and arched her pelvis to brush against his as she added, "Don't blame your morning wood on me when I was sleeping, tough guy."

He hummed and lowered to nuzzle her affectionately before grumbling, "Fuck…I don't want to risk everyone hearing—"

" _That_ didn't stop you at all last night," she retorted glibly, giggling when he leaned up to sweatdrop and blush at the realization he'd indeed not been concerned with that at all previously. _Oh man, and did we throw all caution to the wind last night!_ Her mind flounced over to the kaleidoscope of raunchy memories of all the debauched, toe-curling passion of the night before. _Thank the Kais for this healing factor_ , she goofily thought, knowing without it, she'd be unbelievably sore, but merrily exhausted by her twin star's sexual prowess. Even with it, her core was still tingling from all the delectable positions Piccolo had conquered her over and over in. She clenched her thighs as excitement blossomed deep in her center and skittered down.

Deciding to distract herself from her want, she purred in a lilt, "Well, I'm sure if anyone did hear, we'd have known about it. These are some sturdy, soundproof walls. I couldn't hear Vegeta and Bulma do it—"

"Augh," Piccolo scoffed and rolled off of her to lie on his back and grimace at the ceiling. "We're not having sex here ever again. Just the thought of that pompous asshole being so close by, let alone hearing us, is enough to make my skin crawl," he tersely sneered while Sofia sat up and reclined on her side to let him complain while she smiled amusedly down at him. The sunbeams that were peering through the blinds striped across his body, contouring his emerald skin, pink-patched muscles, and bright red seams to stand out from the rest of him that remained in the shade of the room. His antennae vacillated slighted when he huffed, having finished his rant to glance moodily up at her. Her eyes were soft, gaze loving as she smiled at him. His heart did that funny thing when it swelled and skipped a beat at the same time. It made his blood rush and skin warm when she smiled like that. Not just because it was beautiful, but because it was a look reserved only for him. Eyes hooding with desire for her, Piccolo drawled, "What? No rebuttal?"

"I had one, but I got distracted by how cute you looked in your sulk," she remarked honestly. He scoffed, propping an arm behind his head while he reached up with his other hand to caress her jawline affectionately.

Trailing his thumb over her lips, his mind replayed how they'd driven him wild last night, emanating the most arousing sounds and saying the most sinfully _divine_ things while he'd fucked her in every way he could conceive. He was getting hard just thinking about it. Humming, he trailed his thumb down to her bottom lip and watched her teasingly flick her tongue out against it. She let him pull her down to meet his lips, fingers tangling in her hair as they kissed languidly for a moment, the sun's rays began to imploringly enter the crevices of the blinds.

Sofia felt impossibly content. Then, the whirlwind of memories from recent happenings skittered absently in her mind's eye suddenly after she'd thought to herself, _I can't believe how much has happened in a week_ — She abruptly remembered an encounter she hadn't mentioned to anyone yet. Sobering, Sofia sat up and earnestly gazed down at Piccolo as she murmured, "There's something I haven't told you. I don't want it to drudge up all the angst and acrimony of before, but I haven't told anyone and it's been bothering me…"

Seeing and hearing her sincerity, Piccolo sat up, leaning back on an arm as he turned fully to face her. "What is it?"

Lips pressing together as she thought of how to preface things, she absently pulled the blanket around herself as she began, "When I fought Cell, I blacked out after his attack. I don't remember what happened. Sixteen told me I had repelled his death blow…but that it was as if I'd conjured some force from within to do so." He listened to her, expression becoming serious as she continued, "I didn't know what that meant, so the day I came back and left the Lookout, I went to his arena—" Piccolo tensed, but didn't say anything, so she forged on, "nothing happened. I just went there to see for myself. Kyouran used to be able to block out telepathy, but in putting her guard up, it meant she couldn't psychically peer into others minds either. So, when she needed to read someone, she'd place her hand on them and read their mind for what she was looking for. I did that—"

"You _touched_ that bastard?" Piccolo hissed, his hackles rising.

"Yes, and I saw what I did, Piccolo," she responded, pausing and lowering her gaze from his as she whispered, "What I saw _scared_ me…"

Frowning, Piccolo tipped her chin up as he muttered, "Show me."

Clenching her eyes shut, Sofia took a sobering breath before projecting the memory across to him over their rapport. Piccolo saw her wounded and bloodied – crimson eyes pulsating in a preternatural way and saw the energy beam she unleashed from her mouth that rocked the bioengineered Android. The rancorous, wicked expression etched on her features and the seething rage boiling garnet and vermilion from her berserk gaze sent a shiver down his spine just as she pulled back and stopped projecting the vision. "I don't know what that was, and I can't explain where it came from—don't even know if I could _do_ that again, but the thought that it happened and I had no control? That I wasn't even aware of this raw power inside of me? What if it gets triggered again? What if something terrible happens—?" Sofia began to spiral when Piccolo soothingly pulled her to him and cupped her cheek, startling her to stare up into his eyes again.

"Listen to me. You've always had raw, untapped potential inside of you. It isn't something to be afraid of," he assured. "I think under the duress your body was in, that raw force was triggered to come forth. I'm thankful it did…I-the thought of losing you," he paused, trying to not let that anxiety rise in him again. Regaining his stoic calm, he forged on. "That power, whatever it is, saved you. Don't be afraid of it. You can't gain dominion over what you're scared of. Just know it's something you can master, just like you've mastered everything else." Sofia breathed a sobering inhale and exhale, grateful for his comforting assurance. "It's tough because your power level has always been masked, but Goku and I saw just a hint of that power years ago, and I know it was only the tip of the iceberg. It's nothing to be afraid of, Sofia," he murmured before leaning down and kissing her forehead. "Any power awesome enough to blast that vicious bastard like that is right in my book," he added confidently, smirking when she smiled meekly at him.

"You only like it cuz it's a rip off of your attack against Goku from the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai!" she giggled irreverently, earning an eye roll from him. "It _would_ be cool if I could learn to do that on command," she wiggled her brows at him.

"As if your mouth isn't formidable enough," he muttered sarcastically before she shot him a sharp look, causing him to grunt and change the subject. "So _that's_ it? You and Cell shot the breeze yet again, which really irked me to see you chatting away with that slithering creep, by the way—"

"It was only chatter to stall him while Vegeta and Trunks got there," she assured, nudging him playfully with her shoulder as she added, "He did try some psychological warfare with me and even went as far as to propose a partnership—"

"What," Piccolo groused tersely, expression shuttering in.

"Yeah! He tried to twist my words from our last convo to be all," she cleared her throat before doing her best Perfect Cell impression, " 'Join me in being my partner-in-crime! I saw the malevolence in you spring forth so I propose you be my sidekick in universal domination! Kukuku~!' " She blew a raspberry at the absurdity of the notion. "He's such a dork. All those different DNA donor personalities melded into a peculiar maniacal Android, I tell yah," she mused.

"You sure found a way to exploit that, though," Piccolo huffed, sitting up to rest his back against the wall and lean an arm over a bent knee. "It's disarming how good you could read and manipulate him in order to stall things. It's something most seasoned fighters aren't able to do against an opponent."

"That's because I don't consider anyone my opponent," Sofia explained, shuffling up in the bed to join him in leaning against the wall, sidling close to his warm form. "I know a little enough about what makes all you guys tick. I genuinely just want to learn more about a person, even if I think they suck," she shrugged, adding with a lopsided grin, "Plus, there's literally a little bit of you in Cell. Talking to him reminded me of when we first met and how surly and spiteful you were towards me, haha. It was child's play putting up with that."

Expression tensing with a blue blush of dejection and mortified vertical lines popping to life under his left eye, Piccolo's mouth froze in a combination of a frown and a sneer before he scoffed, "I was NOT that bad!"

Sofia giggled and gave him a placating peck on the cheek. "No, when you did it, while infuriating, I found it dead-sexy. Cell's bitchiness and leering does nothing for me—"

" _Leering_?!" Piccolo growled, hackles rising again.

"Hmm? Yeah, since he became perfect, he plays mind games by leering at me and trying to unnerve me. Like I said, it's child's play. It's that smarmy, surreptitious way of goading and keeping you off-kilter," Sofia reassured, trailing her hand along his forearm and squeezing his hand. "Oh! I forgot to tell you about what I did when I went through the mirror," she suddenly exclaimed and sat up to regale him. She told him about the empty house, how she'd flown across the world and gone to Japan, the teens she'd befriended – everything. As she told him, she was exuberant, smiling about how much fun it'd been to live out a part of her youth she'd not gotten to experience before.

"Do you…miss it?" Piccolo wondered out loud, glancing tensely at her.

Sobering, Sofia gave him a wistful smile as she shook her head. "Don't get me wrong, it was fun to live out my otaku fangirl fantasy, but the irony is I live the real thing every day, here. I honestly felt a sense of relief when I realized there was nothing to miss there. That _you_ are my home," she leaned her head affectionately against his shoulder. "I belong here, and I belong with you." Piccolo's heart warmed and his spirit soared at hearing that. He couldn't have thought of a better way to express how he felt as well. "Now that I've filled you in, it's time for you and me to jump in the shower," she playfully instructed as she sat up and batted her lashes at him, tossing the blankets back to cajole him out of bed.

Scowling, Piccolo reluctantly let her pull him out of bed while he grumbled, "I told you I'd never shower with you again after last time—"

"Oh quit it! This bathroom has a spa shower stall, roomy enough for two. It isn't a cramped bathtub/shower combo like the last time, so no chance in slipping and busting our asses," Sofia cajoled, giggling when he dug his heels in and pouted. "Piccolo, I'm not letting you leave without taking a shower. We smell like the raunchiest of Master Roshi's stag films!"

Sweatdropping at that, Piccolo relented and let her lead the way into the spacious bathroom. Before long, they were relaxing under the hot cascading water together, the steam getting trapped in the glass enclosure of the stall and fogging up the room. After she'd soaped him up comically – scrubbing his toned body with loving gusto, Piccolo let her pull him under the shower head to bask under the soothing cascading water while she diligently soaped herself up, humming a jaunty tune as she did so. His gaze fixated on the sight of her fingers drifting between her thighs, rubbing and cleansing her skin of his thick seed – of the remnants of their bliss. The sight was sinful, decadent. He felt heady at the thought of much he'd come inside her and filled her with his essence, mind resolute in doing it again.

When she glanced up through her wet hair, she caught him staring. His emerald features were slightly tinted by a violet flush, antennae wavering under the cascading water as he tightly clenched his jaw – clear indication he was warring stubbornly with his sexual desire. Smiling, she purposely brushed up against him, looping her arms around him to reach for the shampoo on the inset shelf of the wall behind him. As she did so, she teasingly licked a water droplet dangling from his earlobe before brushing a soft kiss along his jaw. The feel of her warm, soapy body gliding across his sent heat to pool in his gut before zinging down to his groin. She coquettishly pulled away and went about massaging the shampoo in her hair, smiling when she felt his hands caress up her sides sensually.

He surprised her, though, when she went to dispense more shampoo and he instead took the bottle from her hand, poured the viscous, fragrant soap into his palms before caressing them up her scalp and massaged the lather into the length of her dark brown hair. Toes curling and knees getting weak at his loving, sensual attentions as he soothingly massaged her scalp and trailed his powerful fingers through her thick, soaking tresses, Sofia sighed contentedly through her parted lips and leaned her hands back along his sides in order to keep her balance.

As he washed her hair, Piccolo smirked, enjoying her reactions while the water beat down on his back before cascading over his sculpted pink-ridged shoulders and down his body. Massaging his fingertips down her nape before trailing his hands to caress teasingly down her shoulders, along her sides to tantalizingly skim the contour of her breasts before rubbing down her ribs, along her lithe stomach, and down her hips, he let his hands linger teasingly before venturing lower. She gasped, eyes shut as his hands massaged along her thighs before slipping one hand to feel up between her legs while his other hand rubbed up the curve of her body to fondle her breast. Leaning against his hard, slick body under the cascading water, Sofia bit her lip to suppress a groan of excitement at his fingers rubbing her pussy before slipping past the delicate folds to caress her hypersensitive flesh as he kissed the spot just below her earlobe. Feeling his erection press wantonly against her from behind, Sofia tilted her head upwards to meet his kiss, letting him spin her around and press her against the warm, smooth tile of the shower wall.

The fogged up glass wall was streak-free, until Sofia pressed her palms flat against the surface to bear her stance while Piccolo held onto her hips and entered her tight, warm sheath once again, hoarsely groaning as he thrust into her while she undulated and bucked her hips back against his in time with his pace, pounding his throbbing cock deeper and driving it to press against the delicate bundle of nerves that left her crying out and whimpering his name.

Once they'd climaxed, Piccolo pulled her body against his, hand pressed against the glass wall above hers as they shakily regained their composure and came down from the high of reaching bliss together in the warm, steamy enclosed space. Pressing against her after she turned to rest against his imposing frame, he combed her wet hair back as she encircled his waist and hugged him so she could rest her head against his chest.

"All right…fine. We'll definitely shower together moving forward."

Sofia snickered against his chest at that before giggling, leaning up to meet his lips for a chaste, yet satisfied kiss before she pulled back and gave him a sultry look up through her long, dark lashes as she mused, "You bet your sexy ass we will."

* * *

She watched him from the divan chair across from the bed, lounging in the silk robe she'd snapped for herself, toying with her recently dried hair as she inwardly fawned. "Did I tell you how you almost laid me out showing up in that outfit?"

Piccolo had just turned the ensemble he'd borrowed from Goku into his own distinctive purple gi, blue sash, brown moccasins, weighted caped mantle and turban before she'd made the remark. Shooting her a cool glance, he smirked, standing on the side of the bed with just the towel snugly tied around his waist and nothing else yet. "What the hell kind of outfit was it? I know you filled his and Gohan's closets with some garish shit you probably pulled from weird pop culture references—"

"Correct!" she grinned, crossing her arms and legs as she added exuberantly, "You showing up like Ted Theodore Logan and Goku dressed like Bill S. Preston Esquire literally gave me life like I didn't know I needed."

Staring blankly at her, he muttered, "…So I was dressed like some doofus from a movie?"

"No, like THE coolest doofus from _Bill and Ted's Bogus Journe_ y!" she declared, as if that made a huge difference. When he shook his head and just started getting dressed, she singsung, "Oh, we're gonna watch the Bill and Ted movies—"

"There's more than one?" Piccolo marveled dryly.

"And you will ROCK out and see how awesome it is that I planted such a cool wardrobe in Goku's closet!" she continued, smiling when he gave her a rueful smirk as he tucked his gi into his sash. "I'm going to put way more in there now in case you ever end up raiding it again. It took all my self control not to pounce on you when I saw you walk in," she trailed off, winking at him when his cheeks burned with a blush and his stare widened at the mental image of her rushing and pouncing on him in the middle of the party in front of everyone.

"You are insatiable," he snickered as he hurriedly finished dressing before loping over to stand in front of her confidently as he mused, "Seeing you flouncing around in that outfit was murder, you know that?"

Smirking sensually, she batted her lashes innocently at him. "Oh?"

"Feh," he grunted, taking her hand and leading her off the divan to slink against him. "You had everyone's tongues wagging. That old man probably went into anemic shock after leching out on you all night!"

"You know, when you get jealous, your nostrils flare really cutely," Sofia playfully teased before bopping the tip of his nose gently with her index finger and tracing his delectable lips with the point of her long nail. "You know I only want you to lech out on me. Nobody else matters but you," she murmured sincerely before leaning up and kissing him flirtatiously on the lips.

He grunted in approval as he encircled her waist before leaning in to whisper in her ear, "I love you, you insatiable nut."

"I love you more, you sexy doofus," she snickered and kissed him again.

Rolling his eyes and smiling at that, he led the way to the patio doors. "I'll see you tomorrow morning at the Lookout?" he asked as he slid the door open while she held the blinds ajar.

"Yeah. I'm gonna brainstorm the perfect battle suit, since you all have something to say about my fly-ass outfits," she quipped. "What're you gonna do the rest of the day?"

"I'm going to meditate." Sofia gave him a cynical stare. "No, seriously. I have to work on the psychic interlinking that flared up after I merged with Kami. Otherwise we're going to be psychically tethered into feeling each other's physical pain. Definitely _not_ something we should ignore with the battle we have ahead of us," he explained, earnest in his rationale.

"That's so trippy. It's like that old saying about twins being able to feel each other's pain. Who'd have thought it applies to twin stars too," she remarked, tapping her chin as she mused with intrigue, "I'll have to meditate some too to get my head in the game."

"Your head is always in the game," he complimented, shocking her long enough to lean in and steal one last kiss before stepping out onto the balcony and levitating upwards – with a farewell gesture and smirk – before blasting off into the early morning sky.

Sighing in a fawning way, Sofia shut the sliding door and turned to face the disheveled room. Giggling, she went about righting the cozy bedroom, snapping fresh linens onto the bed, tossing the throw pillows back into place and cleaning up. Snapping herself an apropos novelty white shirt and motto-styled black leggings, she exited the bedroom and was prepared to skip down the hall when she paused, noticing the large window in the hall was wide open again. "Hmm…" she hummed curiously before shrugging and loping merrily down the hall towards the main living quarters.

As she came into the living room, she heard music coming from the kitchen. Curious, she loped over and peeked in, seeing Trunks – dressed in a Capsule Corp-branded tank top and loose-fitted jeans – was at the table with baby Trunks sat in his highchair. Her laptop was open on the kitchen counter, cycling through a playlist, while the lavender-haired fighter was trying to feed his younger self, and failing. "C'mon, you gotta eat," he cajoled at the pouting tyke. "Here comes the airplane!" he pantomimed the spoon zipping around before trying to land it into the baby's mouth, only succeeding in getting a fussy fidget from the baby before he slapped the edge of the bowl that was resting on the tray of his chair and succeeding in sending its contents to splatter across Trunks' face. Giggling and pointing, baby Trunks earned a consternated frown from his older self. "Jeez…"

"Hahaha, what a mess!" Sofia chuckled as she came in and rushed to Trunks' aid. "Why're you picking on yourself, bud?" she grinned at the excited tyke as she wiped his hands with a dish rag before turning to wipe grown Trunks' face clean, to his comical bewilderment. "You got more food on your future self than you did in your tummy! The wasting of food is not going to stand," she quipped before smiling at Trunks. "How come you're on baby duty?"

"Oh, Mom's catching up on sleep, so I volunteered to feed…myself?" he chuckled at the ironic notion. "Hey! Sorry, I'd meant to bring the laptop up to you last night, but I kind of got wrapped up and ended up listening to the different playlists instead," Trunks remarked, leaning over and reaching to click the space bar and pause the music playing from the laptop as she dug in the fridge to whip up some food his baby version might actually enjoy.

"No worries! How'd the rest of the night go?" she asked as she sat and offered baby Trunks some food he eagerly let her feed him.

"It was interesting. Mom went MIA for a bit, so I helped get things put away until she came back and helped put grandpa to bed. He was pretty sloshed," he chuckled as he sat back in his chair and smirked. "Oh, what's on your shirt?"

"Hah, just an homage to one of my favorite movies. Goku and Piccolo were dressed like the two characters, unbeknownst to them," she explained as she stood to show off Goku and Piccolo posing next to each other, in the outfits they wore from the party, as if they were actually Bill and Ted. Goku had a goofy grin while Piccolo had a silly smirk. "I know it's dorky, but I just love snapping geeky novelty shirts," she explained as she grinned impishly. "Oh, have you eaten anything? Let me whip up breakfast!" Sofia remarked, seguing into gathering food and ingredients and rushing to do just that as she added, "Vegeta's gonna rake me over coals if I miss prepping another meal—"

"No need. Dad already ate," Trunks stated, watching her pause in shock as she balanced all the food in her arms. "He came down earlier and made himself something to eat."

Placing everything comically on the counter, Sofia whirled around and gaped, "He actually COOKED?!"

"Well, I wouldn't say that. He made a huge sandwich out of all the leftover meat from the barbecue, and went out to the patio," Trunks explained, resuming feeding his younger self as they chatted.

"Whoa…well, no matter. I'll make you something to eat!" Sofia declared as she quickly went about doing so while Trunks hesitated in telling her not to trouble herself as she waved off his modesty with a spatula. "Nonsense! You will sit there and you will let me feed you," she instructed, wagging the spatula, seemingly conjuring Chi-Chi as she added, "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and you two will eat your fill, understood?" Baby Trunks babbled merrily as he grabbed the spoon from his older self and began wagging it at Sofia, mimicking her. Sofia and Trunks laughed at the sight, and the two sat and enjoyed breakfast while she baked some treats in the oven for later. Sipping her coffee, Sofia asked Trunks, "Did you like the party?"

"Yeah! I had a lot of fun. It was a nice change of pace. I think we all needed the break," he replied after wolfing down some food. "It was great seeing everyone just relax, you know? And the dance moves were hilarious."

"Hah, says the dude who did NOT dance a lick! Don't think you're gonna get away with not dancing before you head back to the future, bub," Sofia teased, pointing her fork at him. "I need to assess your skills in busting a move!"

Laughing nervously, he remarked, "You outclassed everyone at that! Where'd you learn how to move like that anyway?"

"MTV," Sofia stated, as if it totally explained everything. When he just stared blankly, she clarified, "Music videos! MTV played music videos in hour blocks and I must've watched every single one on the planet growing up. Plus, I've incorporated it into my training. Dancing and fighting have a similar kind of rhythm and require agility, flow and flexibility."

"Huh. Yeah, I can see that. Your movements and battle style are a lot different from Gohan's and my Dad's," Trunks mused, having finished his plate and sighed contentedly before leaning back in his chair. "That was delicious. Thanks for the meal!"

"You're welcome!" Sofia smiled as she helped baby Trunks finish his bowl of food. "So? What do you think of the tunes? Got any favorites?"

"Oh, that's what I got caught up in – learning all the different genres and what makes them distinct. I guess if I had to pick one I like the most, it'd be Indie? But really, I like most of everything, except Country," he explained as he brushed his long, lavender bangs out of his face and behind his ears. "Classic Rock is really cool too. But it sounds like each genre's foundation is Rock, so anything leaning that way was really appealing."

Sofia was beaming; proud and grateful to finally talk about music with someone close to her own age. "Awesome! Rock is definitely the go-to for me, but really anything with a great beat and fun will always get me going too. Gohan loves zany Rock music. I've been honing his dance skills so he can be a smooth beat assassin, hehehe," she quipped, doing finger guns and playfully pretending to shoot lasers at baby Trunks when he finished his food and Trunks picked him up out of his high chair when the tyke actually held his chubby arms out for him. "Daaaaw," Sofia fawned at the sight, reaching into the thigh pocket pouch of her leggings and quickly pulling out her mobile phone, snapping a photo of the two lavender-haired demi-Saiyans. "That's a keeper!"

Baby Trunks giggled and began trying to tug on his older self's long locks. "Oh no you don't," Trunks playfully chuckled and tossed his hair about to be out of the baby's reach.

Laughing, Sofia cleared the table and quickly went to help Trunks. Running her long nails through his hair to gather the strands from his temples up to brush them back and gather the locks into a hair tie, she combed the section of hair neatly into a half ponytail so the baby couldn't yank on it. "Oooh, this is a good look on you," she complimented platonically. "The front of your hair is out of your eyes, but it's still down and brushed back. I think I'm gonna style my hair this way for battles," she mused as Trunks turned and looked at his reflection in the closest polished appliance on the counter.

"Not bad. Thanks," Trunks remarked as his baby self admonishingly pouted and babbled, still trying to reach the long lavender locks. "Definitely save me from pulling my own hair out." Sofia and Trunks laughed heartily at that, while baby Trunks furrowed his brows and scowled.

* * *

As soon as he touched down in the middle of the courtyard, Piccolo steeled himself for the talk he needed to have, but was distracted by the idea he'd come up with on the way up to the Lookout. Across from him he saw Dende sitting at a small metal patio table under a parasol, avidly reading a large tome, while Mr. Popo was watering some of the flower beds just off to the right of him.

Looking up from his reading, Dende blinked before smiling broadly. "Hello, Piccolo! So nice to see you," the young Namekian and new guardian greeted as he put the tome aside on the table and went over to greet Piccolo. "You're early. I was expecting the others to start gathering tomorrow morning."

"Yeah, I have some meditation I need to do before the tournament," Piccolo remarked stoically before trying to find the right way to break the ice to what he knew he needed to share with the young guardian. "That's not the only reason though. I needed to discuss something with you that isn't really common knowledge, and might come as a shock, but as the Guardian of Earth, I figured you're entitled to know—"

'Would you cut all the preamble and just tell him already,' Nail sarcastically drawled, interrupting Piccolo's train of thought.

Growling for silence, he cleared his throat as he continued levelly, "What I mean to say is, Sofia and I are twin stars. She and I are, well, we're a couple—"

"Oh, I already knew that," Dende replied simply, kind expression not changing even when Piccolo tipped sideways out of mortified shock.

"What?! When? Who told you—!?"

"I told him, Piccolo," Mr. Popo replied as he approached them. The ebony genie sincerely explained, "As the new Guardian, I felt it was important for Dende to know about Sofia, and of course that meant mentioning your relationship."

Sweatdropping, Piccolo quickly recovered to tensely cross his arms, in a huff. "Fine, sure, whatever. I should've known that," he grumbled laconically, adding in a mutter, "I guess it brought up a lot of questions for you, being from Namek and all—"

Unruffled, Dende remarked, "You mean about sex?"

Eye twitching in embarrassed tension, Piccolo's lips pressed together into a thin line as he muttered telepathically, 'I'm going to regret this, aren't I?'

Before Kami or Nail could answer, Dende continued, "Mr. Popo's shown me the Lookout's library, and I've been learning so much about Earthly history and cultural customs, all the differences between men and women, and all sorts of things about biology and attraction—very fascinating stuff! Namekian physiology is similar to many species of animals on Earth, who also reproduce asexually. Oh – did you know there are species of shark that can go from sexual to asexual reproduction? Or that seahorses—"

'Oh my, he's on a roll. Dende was always very studious and eager to learn,' Nail mused while Piccolo stood and listened to the young guardian.

'That's a fine quality in a guardian,' Kami remarked, impressed.

"Dende, I get it. You know _enough_ about what I intended to fill you in on, so let's leave it at that, ok?" Piccolo mildly suggested, interrupting the eager barrage from the young Namekian, as he rubbed at his temples. "Since that's out of the way, there's something else I'd like to discuss with you and Mr. Popo," he continued in a smoother tone.

The ebony genie and young guardian glanced at each other quizzically before Dende curiously sobered and nodded. "Of course!"

Piccolo dropped his arms to his sides and relaxed, as he decided he could let his guard down with the new Kami of Earth. "Well, I have a favor to ask…"

* * *

He was lounging in his favorite spot on the patio – precariously dangling a leg over the side of the banister while he leaned against the façade of the building. The morning sun warmed his features as he listened to the idle humming from Mrs. Briefs down in the garden as she watered her petunias. Nose twitching, he picked up the delectable smell of warm chocolate just as Sofia stepped out onto the patio with the platter of freshly-baked treats balanced in her palm.

Seeing the discarded empty plate on the patio table, Sofia waltzed over to the corner of the patio he was perched on before dramatically waving the platter about. "Have room for chocolate croissants?" she queried knowingly, seeing his nose twitch again as he let one eye open to appraise the platter before looking at her. He was wearing a casual version of his blue spandex body suit, brawny arms on full display in the sleeveless top and glove-free while his golden-tipped boots shone in the morning sun.

"Someone's in a sprightly mood," he groused as he snatched a croissant and bit into it with gusto, trying hard not to hum in delight as his taste buds enjoyed the tasty treat. "Woke up on the right side of the bed today, then?"

Snickering, Sofia levitated the platter to remain floating next to him while she hopped up to stand on the banister of the railing, balancing herself like a tightrope walker as she agilely spun and flipped along the length across from where he was lounging. "Oh, I could say the same for you, mon ami," she quipped as she turned to give him a sidelong smirk. "I noticed you and Bulma slipped out of the party," she wiggled her brows at him, earning a smug, cool glance from him as he chewed on another croissant.

"As if I'd tell you—" he began to drawl.

"You snuck off for a sexy romp in the old gravity simulator," Sofia declared glibly, earning a perturbed twitch of his brow before be snapped his lips shut and huffed through his nose.

"I find your level of insight disarming, stealth," he grunted finally, finishing his croissant while she beamingly grinned at him, waiting in anticipation for details. "Fine. Yes, we did just that. But, it would seem I wasn't the only one taking advantage of the festive atmosphere," he remarked, adding the last comment slyly as he crossed his arms and gave her that damnable smirk of his.

Blinking at him, she replied, "Yeah, everyone had a good time—"

"It sounded like the Namek was really giving it to you good. Bully for him," Vegeta offhandedly mused as he debated about having another croissant, missing Sofia's mortified freeze as she almost fell backwards onto the patio. "It's still surreal to know he's anatomically correct now and able to plow you with such skill. If I hadn't heard it for myself I would've still found it hard to believe he was up to the task."

Deflating comically over the banister, Sofia's devolved expression peered mechanically up at him to blink in gaping shock. Then, she recalled how the hall window had been open earlier, and realized he must've entered that way after the rendezvous with Bulma. "You eavesdropped!? Why the hell were you climbing through that window if you two banged last night anyway?!" Sofia suddenly recovered and flailed in objection while he aloofly started snacking on another croissant.

"It's the closest entrance from the lot where the old simulator's in, and we didn't want to stroll back in together; would've defeated the point of sneaking off unnoticed," Vegeta remarked with a shrug. "And good thing I did. I'll admit, listening to you be a power bottom queen was quite amusing – a real change of pace for your usual demeanor," he offered with a devious snort at her sudden scandalized expression.

"...Wait— _how_ do you know what a power bottom is, Vegeta?" she suddenly smirked impishly, her expression quirking when he rolled his eyes.

"I was an intergalactic soldier. Surely you know most of the fighter corps were composed of men, predominantly. The Frieza Force was a virtual sausage fest. Most of the women cadets staffed non-battle corps, so battle cruisers were rampant with men. Cramming a bunch of horny cutthroats onto a ship makes for an environment rife with seedy backroom debauchery," Vegeta remarked dryly, as if it was a no-brainer. "Plus, Nappa used to call Raditz a power bottom queen on the fact that he liked letting his girls ride him like a bitch," he snickered at the thought, pulling up his knee to lean his forearm across it. "The dumbass would loudly bray, grunt and shout out crassly what he liked and what he wanted them to do."

"Auh," Sofia grimaced and laughed, balancing to sit on the banister and face him at the rare reminiscence. "I _knew_ there was something going on there! Frieza sure had an affinity for outfitting his brawny battle cadres with a lot of short shorts, briefs and banana hammocks," she chortled before freezing. "Oh god, don't tell me I was totally obnoxiously loud," she suddenly balked and blanched.

Shaking his head sardonically, he scoffed, "Not as bad, but do you really want me to quote some of what I heard?"

Sofia nervously guffawed at that, scratching the back of her head self-consciously. "Gahck, nah, I'll pass!" she exclaimed and chuckled; finding the fact that he confirmed the Frieza Force was a pretty Yaoi-filled environment iconic. "I'm totally cataloguing that you're voyeur though, hehehehe!"

Sneering at the suggestion, Vegeta gruffly jeered, "Don't get all audacious just because you finally got railed—"

"I'm not! I just love that we're learning more about each other, don't you?" Sofia smirked – showing off a wicked fang as her red eyes mischievously twinkled at him.

When she did that, he idly thought that she would've made an interesting addition amongst he and his old cohorts, had she been a Saiyan, that is. "I just keep learning how much of a wicked, devious bitch you are and how you'd have fit in perfectly had you been one of the Saiyans," he quipped darkly, adding with a chuckle, "And how Nappa and Raditz would've constantly fought to fuck you first."

Instead of the umbrage or outrage he intended to get from such a nasty comment, Sofia threw her head back and laughed heartily, completely amused by the notion. "You _just_ told me how the Frieza Force were a bunch of dudes in gay ruts, so I'm sure those two would've made due with any locker room gloryhole and handjob fests they could get in on, cuz I assure you, if they'd tried anything with me, they'd be missing a few appendages," she grinned, her tone amiably foreboding as she chomped her vicious fangs at him, for emphasis.

Vegeta laughed, impressed by her dark sense of humor. "I can't speak to any grab-assing those two morons may have or may have _not_ partaken in, but I swing one way," he derided acerbically, crossing his arms as he added in an aside, "It was tough, sure, but I got by just fine with the occasional snatch that crossed my path."

Snickering, Sofia mused, "Duh. I figure due to your elite status and royal lineage, you weren't always relegated to being stuck on battle cruisers. Plus there _must've_ been the rare badass lady warrior among all the swinging dicks in the Frieza Force."

Vegeta absently thought of his tryst with a reptilian warrior woman before he and Nappa had headed to Earth, and shook his head sardonically. "Again, your insight truly is something else," he scoffed sarcastically.

"Ah, you love it, don't play," Sofia quipped and laughed. "Anyway, I might be a power bottom queen, but I know you're topping Bulma on the regular, even when you _do_ let her get on top," she wryly quipped and winked naughtily before snickering cleverly at him.

Vegeta shook his head humorously at that, even as he groused, "Touché, stealth. I'll admit – it's cute that we both have our appetites, and get them fulfilled differently, but I'll be damned if you're not an unapologetic sex fiend."

"You say that like it's a _bad_ thing, Vegeta," she cackled, floating over the platter so she could grab a croissant and devour it with delight. "We're both beasts in the streets and freaks in the sheets, and there's no point denying it, hehehe."

"You literally were scandalized when I brought it all up just a minute ago," he dryly grunted and shot her a snarky look.

"Ah, c'mon! You're just as shy every time I bring up what _you_ do, so don't even try it, bub," she shot back wryly and floated the platter onto the patio table top. "Alright, lets make a pack to be forthcoming on the subject, without any outrage, shock or embarrassment, from here on out," she proposed and leaned over to gesture for a fist bump. When Vegeta scoffed at the notion and pointedly crossed his arms tighter, Sofia unrelentingly leaned closer and kept going, "Huh? Huh? Huuuuuh?" at him until he rolled his eyes and begrudgingly fist bumped her. Sofia grinned as she cheered, "Yesss! Full access to Vegeta and Bulma's sexcapades~!"

"Don't get crazy. It's not any kind of access, you perv!" he snapped gruffly.

"C'mooooon, take it as a compliment that you two are fire and I live for your sexy interactions, hehehe," she declared in a lilt, eyes twinkling gleefully.

Shaking his head despite his lip twitching from him trying to suppress the smug smirk, Vegeta mused, "I can't believe such ravenous sexual energy is wasted on a Namek."

Smirking slyly, Sofia leaned in conspiratorially and purred, "Trust me, it is anything but wasted, and he channels it oh-so-well."

"I'm sure," he drawled, giving her a knowing smirk.

"You mean, 'I heard, and it was hot,' ha?" she wisecracked.

Blowing a raspberry, Vegeta conceded smugly, "It wasn't boring, I'll give you that…"

* * *

'You've adapted quite skillfully to all these changes, Piccolo. It took me ages to learn the calm required to center and keep domain over my divine abilities. I'm very proud of you.'

'Feh…'

'Oh c'mon, you can at least let Kami pay you a compliment without giving him sass.'

Scowling, Piccolo appraised the two Namekians across from him. '…I'm only interested in excelling; mastering these new abilities of mine, and making sure I have full control of them. As long as you're able to teach me how to do so, you can spare me the compliments, old man,' Piccolo muttered before addressing Nail dryly, 'And I'd call your constant interjecting sass. Just be glad I let you hang around—'

'As if you have a choice otherwise,' Nail drawled aloofly, crossing his arms smugly. 'You're stuck with us, Piccolo, so you can stow the merciless act. And besides, you've learned plenty from me over the years too, after all.'

'Oh sure, I've learned plenty,' Piccolo mused sarcastically before changing the subject. 'I can't believe Dende buried the lead about not being able to wish someone back to life who's already been brought back once before. That's kind of a glaring oversight, considering the circle we run in…'

'Two wishes will have to be more than enough,' Kami remarked.

'Besides, we always have Porunga. Worst-case scenario, someone could contact my brethren on New Namek and have them wish those who cannot be covered off be Shenron back. You Z Warriors really have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to divine intervention, yet you always seem to take it for granted,' Nail chimed sardonically, shrugging when Piccolo scoffed. 'Dende is the Guardian of Earth, but he isn't actually a god, Piccolo.'

'Yeah well, that detail is going to go over like a lead balloon with this crew,' Piccolo huffed. Sensing the others begin to approach in their ascent to the Lookout, he mused, 'Anyway, thanks for the help, I guess…'

'Give him hell, Piccolo,' Kami remarked before stepping through his own consciousness.

'And whatever you do, try not to antagonize Sofia, would you?' Nail snickered sardonically before entering his own end of the joined bridge and fading out as well.

Grunting, Piccolo allowed himself to emerge from his meditative state before opening his eyes and standing from the lotus position he'd been in. Glancing at the entrance of the palace, he saw Dende and Mr. Popo emerge, sensing the others beginning to arrive just as Krillin landed. The former monk rushed over to say his hellos just as Gohan zoomed up before descending quickly and rushing over to him. "Hi, Piccolo!" the bright-eyed demi-Saiyan greeted, jovially smiling up at him.

"Let me guess: you snuck out of the house early while your mother badgered your father about not letting you fight in the tournament," Piccolo smirked down at his friend.

Before Gohan could reply, Krillin leaned in conspiratorially and mused, "That's Chi-Chi for yah!"

"Heheh, yeah. Mom's not keen on it," Gohan nervously laughed.

"I don't think any of us can blame her, Gohan."

Turning to see Tien and Yamcha walk up after having arrived together, Gohan and Krillin greeted the fighters congenially while Piccolo focused on sensing Trunks and Vegeta rushing up through the sky towards the Lookout.

"Yeah, Tien has a point, bud. Your mom is tough as nails, but no way is she gonna be cool with you fighting, so I hope Goku is ready for what he'll be in for when he gets back home, hehehe," Yamcha quipped while Tien shook his head irreverently.

Everyone paused and turned to see Vegeta and Trunks burst through the clouds before zooming down to land in the center of the sprawling courtyard just before Sofia did. Landing gracefully, she smiled beamingly at seeing everyone already gathered. Vegeta was scowling deeper than usual after relenting to Sofia's pestering that he come along to the Lookout with them instead of set out alone for the tournament grounds like he wanted to. Trunks waved at the others as the trio walked up before pausing to follow their avid stares as they bore past him towards Sofia.

"Hey, guys!" she greeted as she loped up and placed her hands on her hips.

"Wowzers," Yamcha wheezed as he elbowed Tien comically while the triclops gulped and tried not to stare as leeringly as the scar-faced fighter was, or gape in awe as ridiculously as Krillin was.

"Yowza! Sofia, you look – well I mean to say your…whew. Yeah, just ignore me," Krillin stammered bashfully before Gohan glanced at him and back at Sofia.

"Oh, c'mon! Don't tell me this isn't good enough battle attire either?!" she protested and stomped her foot comically before pouting.

Piccolo's eyes were wide as his gaze appraised her unique, svelte, streamlined yet fetching battle suit. He remembered she had said she'd come up with a more appropriate battle outfit, but she was a stunner, standing out among all of them in the multi-textured armored bodysuit that sculpted to her. Modeled partly after a plugsuit, it was skin-tight, with the boots merged as one to the entire suit that synched to a high collar in order to protect her neck, sculpted to her arms to end in a thumb-hole sleeve, allowing her to flex and not have the material ride up her forearm. Vermilion red-plated material color blocked the main portions of the suit along the chest, outer line of her arms, down her legs, shins and boots, while the more flexible textured portions of the suit were a maroon weave. The inseams of her arms and legs were a black paneling that allowed for the streamline of motion she would need to be comfortable and adaptable to any agile contortions she'd have to exert. Her hair was pulled back from her temples up into a low, half-up ponytail while the rest of her long mane was swept behind her shoulders and down her back. Hands on her hips, her black talon-like nails gleamed along with the vermilion panels under the morning sun while her hair danced in the blowing breeze.

"Nuh-uh! You look awesome," Gohan assured, running around to get a 360-degree look of her impressive suit. "It's super cool!"

"Yeah?" she grinned before shooting a searing, foreboding glare at the others. "Then what's with all the judgy looks, hmmm?!"

Tien, Krillin and Yamcha nervously did their own version of reassuring gestures, stammering to say they had no opinion at all in order not to incur her wrath.

"They weren't judging as much as they were gawking at your ass, stealth," Vegeta scoffed smugly before scowling around to bark, "Where's Kakarot?"

The others were too flummoxed to object at Vegeta's comment before feigning sudden interest in when Goku would arrive. While Gohan explained his father would join the group soon, Sofia caught Piccolo's stare and playfully winked at him. Gesturing with a nod of his head for her to follow him, the twin stars left the group to enter the secluded interior courtyard just off to the side of where everyone was congregated while Dende discussed the new ground rules for the revitalized dragon balls. Slightly obscured by the topiaries and arborvitaes, Piccolo turned and gave her an appreciative once over.

'You trying to raise my blood pressure?' Piccolo telepathically purred, hands on his hips as he tried to keep the smirk from pulling on his scowling lips.

'What? This ol' thing?' Sofia feigned innocently as she gave him a little spin, slow and purposeful, so he could catalogue every curve and detail. His eyes roved along the skin-tight material that perfectly contoured her derriere and sculpted her generous bust line. 'I took inspiration from tons of different battle armor and suits I've seen, and just put my little spin on it. It's lightweight, snug and the weaving is flexible and durable to withstand almost anything,' she explained before adding glibly, "And best part? I bet you can't find the hidden pockets.'

Rolling his eyes, he surprised her by stepping close and cupping his hand affectionately at the small of her back before pulling her against him so he could murmur, "I'm sure it'll look just as good on the floor later tonight."

Blushing, Sofia blinked in amazement before she smiled and leaned up to meet him halfway for a quick kiss on the lips. She was bowled over and smitten that he was actually being demonstrative with the others so close by, even if they had some kind of privacy. Little did either know that from his vantage point, Trunks could see the twin stars sharing the sweet moment while the others were too enthralled by Dende's bad news to have noticed. Smiling at seeing his friend happy and glad that the couple had rekindled their relationship, Trunks had to do a double take at what he'd just heard.

"Oh boy, that's a problem—"

"Unbelievable. So after all that, there's still a limit to how many times one can be brought back to life?!" Vegeta groused, not noticing Piccolo and Sofia lope back over to the group as he glanced at Krillin, Tien and Yamcha before he drawled, "Then I guess the three of you are shit out of luck."

Stewing at that, Tien muttered, "Unlike _you_ , we three know when we're outmatched. We're not planning on fighting—"

"Oh, how quaint. You're going to stand on the sidelines and cheer?" Vegeta shot back smugly.

"Can't you go one day _not_ being a huge ego-maniac, Vegeta?! You got your ass handed to you by Cell, so take your bravado and shove it—!" Yamcha snapped back, cutting himself short when Vegeta narrowed his stare on him.

"Why the hell am I wasting my time standing around with the likes of you anyway," the Saiyan gruffly barked. "I've had enough waiting around. You losers decide to be at the tournament, be sure to stay out of my way," he gruffly spat before blasting off to the sky, heading to the tournament grounds by himself.

Sighing, Sofia slapped her arms against her sides as she teetered on the balls of her feet, chortling, "Impatient, ain't he?"

"He's a prick," Tien muttered under his breath, disdainfully, before realizing he was swearing in front of Dende. "Sorry!" Sofia laughed while the others ruefully apologized to Dende for their behavior as well.

"Don't worry, guys! I've learned it's a colloquial thing on Earth to swear. And anyway, you _do_ know there are swears in Namekian, right?" Dende congenially remarked, earning nervous laughs from everyone.

While they waited for Goku, the group wandered off into different cliques. Piccolo, Sofia, Gohan and Dende struck up conversation by the palace entrance, while the others wandered down the courtyard and chatted amongst themselves, trying to find a moment of levity. Catching Trunks glancing amiably over at Sofia, Yamcha slid in slyly next to the longhaired fighter and mused conspiratorially, "At least you got that to look forward to, buddy. I'm totally jealous. Tell me you're gonna take her out before you head back to the future? You gotta!"

"Huh?!" Trunks genuinely grunted, perplexed.

"Leave him alone, Yamcha," Tien remarked. "He obviously isn't thinking about dating right now—"

"How could he _not_?! We're going into battle against Cell! What's better than looking forward to coming out the other side so you can get your girl?" Yamcha protested, earning an amused headshake from the triclops while Krillin pouted.

"Yeah…trust me, it's better to go for it while you can. I wish I had," the former monk lamented.

"Uhhh," Trunks realized they were still under the impression he and Sofia were romantically destined. "It isn't like that at all. Sofia and I are just friends!"

"Oh, c'mooooon!" Yamcha jeered. "You can be straight with us, Trunks. We're guys! And we know how it is with the ladies—"

"Sure we do," Tien dryly mused, smirking sarcastically while Yamcha boasted.

"And we can give you all the tips on how to woo her! You just gotta admit it—"

"No. Seriously," Trunks firmly cut in. "She and I are _just_ friends. There's nothing romantic between us. And even if I wanted to pursue something, Sofia's already seeing someone, so I'm definitely not taking her out, guys." Balking, Krillin and Yamcha gaped while Tien stared at Trunks. "Anyway, thanks for looking out, but I have to go back to my timeline after all is said and done, so no way would it make sense for us to be anything more than friends," Trunks smiled reassuringly before loping over to join the convo with Gohan and Sofia.

"Seriously?! Who could she be seeing?!" Yamcha whispered to the other fighters.

"No clue!" Krillin remarked, humming in wonder as he pondered it.

"So much for your brilliant theory, Yamcha," Tien snickered, crossing his arms and laughing as the scar-faced fighter pouted at him, continuing to whine and wonder out loud who she could be seeing.

Piccolo smirked to himself, having heard the entire exchange while the others joked with Dende and tried to cheer the nervous guardian up.

Suddenly, Goku appeared across from everyone, having used Instant Transmission to teleport from his home directly to the Lookout. "Hey guys!" Goku greeted jovially. "Today's the day! I collected all the dragon balls, just in case, and—whoa! Sofia," he paused his remark as he noticed Sofia standing next to Piccolo in her new suit. Comically phasing over to survey the battle suit closer, invading her personal space, the Super Saiyan marveled, "Wow, nice suit! It's so tight-looking – can you even move in it?"

Slapping his hand away before he could curiously poke at the fabric on her chest, coming dangerously close to literally poking her boob experimentally, Sofia sardonically quipped, "Duh, Kakarot! Not only can I fight in it, but I can dance." Locking her fingers together to wiggle her arms in a wave before swaying like an R&B backup dancer, she earned a host of sweatdrops from the others while Goku giggled irreverently in approval.

"Awesome!" he declared before glancing around. "Where's Vegeta?"

"He got sick of waiting and went on ahead," Piccolo remarked stoically.

"Aww, lame. Anyway, here are the dragon balls!" he fished out a capsule and handed it to Dende for safekeeping.

"Uh, speaking of which, Goku. There's some bad news," Krillin remarked with a frown. He quickly explained the issue with not being able to wish back to life those who'd already been wished back once before.

"I'm very sorry," Dende frowned, adding, "I should've mentioned that from the beginning."

"Hey, don't worry about it," Goku remarked, easygoing. Sobering, he addressed Krillin, Tien and Yamcha as he mused, "Guess that settles it. You three – if you can help it, stay out of the battle. Otherwise, we just have to try not to die!"

"How can we manage that?!" Krillin protested. "This is CELL we're talking about!"

"Don't worry about it. We'll be fine!" Goku assured. "C'mon, it's almost time for the tournament to start. Let's head out!"

Stunned, everyone but Sofia exchanged tense glances before following Goku's lead, levitating upwards before taking off at full speed towards the tournament grounds.

'I doubt it's going to be that simple,' Piccolo muttered telepathically to her.

'Has it ever been simple with this crew?' she mused, but gave him a reassuring smirk before they both took off to join the others.

As they flew, Piccolo glanced at her from the corner of his eye. 'So, I know we're going into this expecting the worst, but anything I should know?'

'Yes. This is going to be a monumental turning point for everyone. And…' she trailed off, suddenly reminded that Goku would decide not to be wished back to life in order to remain in Otherworld instead. Frowning, she chose her words carefully. 'And there's a lot that will be devastating for all of us to deal with. I-I'm going to have a hard time with it, Piccolo…'

Stoically absorbing that, he wondered if she'd have to actively participate to ensure things happen as they were meant to, and if that would hurt her more than anything she would admit. 'I trust you. No matter what happens, I'll be there to back you up,' he finally declared.

Heart clenching with emotion at that, Sofia fought the urge to plant a kiss on his cheek. Instead, she smiled. 'Oh! You just reminded me of something. Be right back,' she remarked before flying ahead of the formation in order to fly up next to Goku. She smirked when he glanced at her curiously. "So? How were things at home the last few days? You and Chi-Chi spend some _quality_ time together?" she inquired, wiggling her eyebrows playfully at her friend.

"Uh, sure!" Goku sincerely smiled, not picking up her suggestive tone. "She was super grumpy the last couple of days though about us fighting in the tournament."

"Yeah, but you didn't spend the whole time arguing about that, right?" she giggled as she elbowed him conspiratorially in the arm a few times.

"No way! Things have been nice," he smiled.

Picking up the odd tone, Sofia touched her hand on his bicep to quickly peer into his memories of the last week, since he'd woken from his heart virus coma. Seeing a panorama of memories flash across her mind's eye in a rapid sequence, she saw him and Chi-Chi have sweet moments, but was shocked to see some tense moments as well. At no point had they shared an intimate, loving moment of intimacy like she'd expected to see. Perplexed, she wondered out loud, "Wait, you guys didn't get busy at all?"

Blinking naively at her, the Super Saiyan retorted, "Sure we did! We had Gohan's birthday, and a picnic, and she cooked a lot, and I ate a ton—"

"No-no, I mean _got busy_ , you know?" she insisted, and emphasized the term by rolling her neck in a suggestive way. When he just stared at her with blank, wide turquoise eyes, Sofia felt an icy feeling trickle down her spine. "Goku: Did you and Chi-Chi not have sex?" she breathed in a tense whisper, expression shuttering in.

"Uh, no? But why would you want to know that?!" the jovial Saiyan retorted lamely.

"But, but—I told you the other night!" she insisted, noticing the others were glancing at them so she quelled her nervous demeanor. "I told you the other night you'd be needing to do the addition to the house for your growing family, remember?"

"Yeah, but I don't see why—"

"Oh for the love of god," she hissed and face palmed as they flew. "Goku…how do you grow a family?"

"Uhhhh," Goku pondered the question like it was a foreign concept. "You don't actually grow a family though, Sofia."

'GOKU!' she shouted telepathically at him now, losing her temper.

Jolting, he responded tentatively, 'Did I do something wrong—?'

'Just…listen to me. You _do_ know where babies come from, right?!'

'Sure! But what's that gotta do with growing a family—' he paused suddenly. 'Oh…ohhhhhhhh…'

Seeing the realization finally dawn on him, Sofia tensely exhaled. 'Goku, I should NOT be telling you this,' she hesitated. 'But, if you and Chi-Chi really did NOT have sex at all any time recently, that's…that's really bad.'

Nodding mechanically at her, Goku blankly stared ahead as he let her comment sink in. '…I guess I messed up…'

'But why?! What happened that you were fighting—?'

'We weren't though. I was just peeved a little by what she'd said to you, and then I guess in running around looking for the dragon balls, and Gohan's birthday and everything else, we just didn't have a chance to, you know, make up?' he sincerely explained, adding, 'Oh man, I thought we were going to the night of the party, but Gohan and I stayed up late talking about the tournament, which is what made Chi-Chi mad all yesterday—'

Heart aching at hearing his rationale, Sofia felt like an anvil had dropped on her. _Oh my god, it's because of me that he and Chi-Chi won't conceive Goten, and…and Goku's going to—!_

Nudging her with his elbow, Goku remarked, "It's ok! Like I told the guys, we'll just do our best against Cell. I promise to not be a dummy and set things right with Chi-Chi."

Nodding, Sofia smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. Falling back to fly by Piccolo's side, she dejectedly fought the urge to cry. He immediately sensed her distress.

'What's the matter?'

'Oh Piccolo…it's all might fault,' she whispered as she clenched her fists, digging her nails into her palms.

'Tell me what's wrong?' he insisted, glancing across at Goku.

'Goku and Chi-Chi…' she began, but broke off as she scrubbed the back of her hand across her eyes. 'A year from now, Chi-Chi is meant to bear a child…'

Tensing, Piccolo stared back at her. 'What's that got to do—?'

'In the days leading up to the Cell Games, Goku and Chi-Chi were supposed to get it on, but they didn't! He…because of all the drama with me, it's my fault…because of me, he and Chi-Chi didn't, so that means Goten wasn't conceived—!' she broke off, knowing she was telling him too much.

Quickly absorbing and analyzing her reason for distress, Piccolo ruminated the implications, and figured out why she was so upset. 'Goku was supposed to impregnate her before the tournament, because he won't get a chance after. That means…Goku dies today.' Seeing her eyes well with tears, he now understood the awful burden she'd carried this whole time. His heart ached, feeling a disarming sense of grief he'd not experienced ever in his life. 'But, how?! We have Porunga—!'

'Goku chooses not to be wished back,' Sofia cut in, her tone hollow. 'He reasons that all the villains that have appeared to destroy the Earth do so because of him. You…' she shook her head and amended, 'Raditz came to Earth to get Goku, then Vegeta and Nappa. The Androids? Cell? All of them were driven to destroy Goku and everyone on Earth, so he figures it's best for him to stay dead…'

Scowling, Piccolo consoled her by musing, 'That settles it. Goku's a moron.'

Laughing despite her sorrowful demeanor, she shook her head ruefully at him as she wiped at her eyes. 'This isn't funny!' she woefully lamented.

'Sofia, listen to me,' he muttered. When she glanced at him, he rumbled, 'You told him, right?' When she nodded, he continued, 'Trust him to know what he needs to do. It's not your fault that the idiot didn't fuck his wife!' Sweatdropping and almost teetering into a mid-air face fault at that, Sofia practically deflated comically when he added, 'You aren't an interloping third party! You are a Z Fighter now, and while we're obviously a group of martial arts fuckups, you're stuck with us, and all you can do is your best, and that's what you're doing here.'

'…I love you, but your pep talks are the worst!' she whined.

'Did it work though?' he shot back wryly.

'…Sigh…yes, yes it did,' she reluctantly snorted, adding, 'You know I'm going to have to do everything I can to make sure Goku doesn't die today, right?'

Nodding curtly, Piccolo muttered, 'I'll help you, which will be a big adjustment for me…'

'Oh hush, you've been saving his ass from doom for years!' she admonished goofily.

'Yeah, but reluctantly,' he mused sarcastically, earning a snicker from her. 'Now I gotta earnestly go out of my way to keep the fool alive.'

Giggling despite the macabre nature of the conversation, Sofia forced all the gloom away and mused, 'I don't know what the consequences will be for altering this outcome, but we have to do it,' she paused, glancing at him resolutely as she added, 'I'm going to do everything I can to make sure he doesn't die, Piccolo. If that means getting in the path for him, I will.'

Sobering, Piccolo sized her up, and saw the temerity in her eyes. 'It's not going to come to that—'

'You don't know that,' she interjected. 'If it does, I need you to not interfere.'

Stoically steeling himself, Piccolo stared ahead, unable to lie to her and say he would, but not wanting to cause a quarrel.

Knowing not to push her luck, Sofia stared ahead as well, inhaling a sobering breath before exhaling, steeling herself and training her expression into a stoic semblance. _I will protect, Goku. I have to…_

* * *

Glaring mildly at his surroundings, Cell wondered if it wouldn't have been better to just challenge Goku on the spot when he'd had the chance, rather than wait so long and have propped up such a spectacle that had foolish humans congregating on his arena. The reporter was blathering on about something, the big brash oaf was prancing around for the camera, and he was getting more and more impatient. Sensing Vegeta was the first hint at the fun he would have, and seeing the Saiyan land and scowl at him was enough to tickle his devious funny bone. When Android 16 landed, however, he was intrigued. Not that the obsolete model would ever be a threat to him, but the idea that another Dr. Gero creation would square up against him seemed quite poetic.

Glancing up at the sky and seeing the Z Fighters flying towards the site, in perfect formation, got him excited – almost gleeful, for the first time in days. Seeing Goku land across from him on the sideline of the ring was momentous, and he couldn't help smirk smugly at the Super Saiyan and his ragtag group of cohorts. Marveling at the hubris Goku must've possessed to bring his only son along, Cell was truly amused and ready to make a scathing remark, when he noticed Sofia. Doing a double take, he sized her up and smirked. "Well now, you take direction well, don't you?"

When everyone realized Cell was addressing Sofia, they whirled around, perplexed. Goku leaned over and muttered, "I think he's talking to you."

"I think you're right," Sofia murmured back, but didn't answer the bioengineered Android. Instead, she turned and smiled at seeing Android 16 walk around from where he'd been standing to come greet them. "Hey, Sixteen! You look great," she smiled up at the redhead.

"Get a load of you! The Briefs really put you back good as new," Krillin remarked congenially. Glancing between Sofia and Sixteen, Krillin realized her battle outfit was a slight homage to the Android's – just with different plating and red-black color scheme rather than the bulky green plated torso armor and black bodysuit Android 16 donned.

"Thank you both for your help. Your intervention allowed me to be repaired, and I appreciate it immensely," the stoic Android remarked, smiling, until he glanced down at Goku as he approached him to introduce himself.

"Aw, you're welcome!" Krillin and Sofia said in unison, before playfully glancing at each other and saying at the same time, "Jinx!" before laughing.

"Hey there! My name's Goku," the Super Saiyan remarked amiably. "It's nice to meet yah. Best of luck to you in the tournament, friend!"

When Goku extended his hand for a shake, Sixteen narrowed his gaze at him and declared, "I was created with the sole purpose of destroying you, so it would be wise for you to not take me lightly."

Blinking at that, Goku leaned over to Krillin and Sofia and muttered, "Jeez, this guy's a bit of a buzzkill, isn't he."

Snickering, Sofia suppressed her grin while Krillin chuckled reassuringly to his best friend, "Yeah, but he's really a good guy, once you get to know him."

"Well, I guess I'll go ahead and get started," Goku remarked, cracking his knuckles. "I'll take Cell on myself first, if that's alright."

"Is there a reason to jump the gun and come out blazing?" Trunks remarked; shocked Goku would want to cut to the chase.

"Well, what say you, Vegeta? Cool with me going first?"

"Do what you want, but don't forget that I'll finish the job," Vegeta mused gruffly.

"What's the deal?! What gives you the right to think you can go first?!" Hercule Satan jeered, completely ruffled that the cameraman had moved the lens from him to instead zoom in comically into Sofia's shapely curves before the reporter admonished him and jerked the lens back to the champ. "You bumpkins think you can waltz in and steal the spotlight?" Hercule seethed under his breath.

Comically disarming everyone, Hercule took the opportunity to boast his World Martial Arts Champion status before going into a series of showboating stunts that did little to impress the Z Warriors. When the cameraman peered back over to get their reaction shots, Sofia blinked before breaking out a brilliant grin and flashing him the peace sign. Piccolo face palmed. 'Don't encourage this insanity, would you…'

"That guy really isn't serious about fighting Cell, is he?" Goku queried out loud, bewildered.

"It would seem so. What a jackass," Krillin mused, shaking his head, while the others seemed just as peeved by the ridiculous man and the reckless media coverage.

"Well I'd feel bad for not at least trying to warn him," Goku mused before shouting over at Hercule, "Hey! If you fight Cell, you're going to get beat."

Incurring the swift, cynical jeers of not only the champ and the reporter, but all the spectators watching the live feed around the world, Goku was wide-eyed in shock when Hercule mocked, "This guy's a real goof, ain't he?!"

"Zoom into that doofus," the reporter muttered to his cameraman, referring to Goku. "How DARE you suggest Mr. Satan – the strongest fighter on the planet – would be beaten by the dastardly Cell?! Just who the hell do you think you are anyway?!" the reporter railed while his cameraman panned back and forth.

"Enough!" Everyone froze when Cell called out. "It's finally time."

Sobering, Sofia crossed her arms and mused to Goku, "Just let Hercule go first."

"Huh? Really?" When she nodded, Goku reluctantly mused, "Well, ok..."

"Ah, such a wise assertion from such a lovely spectator!" the reporter appeared suddenly next to Sofia, jarring her. "And do _you_ intend to remain and cheer the champ on, young lady?"

Noticing the camera focusing intently on her again, Sofia suddenly felt bashful at being addressed in front of the entire world. "…Oh, I'm here to watch Mr. Satan kick ass, and if I'm lucky, maybe even go one-on-one against Cell myself. If the champ doesn't obliterate him, that is," she remarked very coolly while the reporter fawningly nodded appreciatively at her comments as the cameraman kept zooming into her bust. Master Roshi, who was watching live from Kame House, fell backwards from a nosebleed of epic proportions.

"Oh man, don't tell me she's really humoring this whole thing," Yamcha muttered, while Tien grunted dryly and shook his head.

Gohan was just marveling at the novel situation while Vegeta scowled, Trunks gaped tensely, Piccolo rolled his eyes, and Goku watched in wonder. "She's pretty diplomatic, huh," Krillin murmured over to the younger fighter, earning an amused nod from Gohan.

"Outstanding! Nice to see one of ya'll ain't a country bumpkin after all," Hercule declared boastingly as he preened his cape before tossing it to the side dramatically. "It's always nice to meet a fan, especially such a pretty one," he bragged before winking at Sofia, who suppressed a sweatdrop and sneer as best as she could. "Anyways, I'm calling first dibs!" the showboat declared as he stepped up to Cell across the ring.

"I don't care who goes first," Cell muttered. "Let's begin already."

"There's no use in arguing with the guy, Goku," Krillin groused.

"But he's going to get crushed," Goku frowned.

Sofia whispered, "Ye of little faith! Let Hercule show what he's made of."

Seeing Sofia wink at him knowingly, Goku nodded and gestured that he was cool with Hercule going before him.

"Hah, finally," the champ snickered before doing a grand show of taking off his championship belt and holding it proudly over his head for the cameraman to get the shot. People watching all around the world cheered Mr. Satan on, enthralled that the fight was finally going to begin. Surprisingly, Hercule then took his belt and dramatically tossed it in the air towards Sofia. Shocked, she caught it easily and blinked wide-eyed around before furrowing her brow. "Hold onto my belt, toots," he remarked and smiled brashly at her, comical glint in his eyes as she sweatdropped and looked around at the others, who were peeved and mortified for her.

Shaking her head, she gave him the thumbs up and tossed the belt over her shoulder as she leaned her weight on one hip and tried poorly not to snicker at the ridiculousness of it all. _Whew. At least all of this is going accordingly. No diversions in the sequence, finally,_ Sofia thought to herself, relieved.

They all watched as Hercule taunted Cell, hopping around and shadow boxing and kicking at him, with no effect. The whole time, the reporter acted as ringside announcer, hyping up the drama by describing theatrically everything Hercule was doing. Cell just stood there, stone-faced while the mustachioed former wrestler pummeled away with bravado and fanfare before falling into his fighting stance, then doing a run towards the bioengineered Android to strike a defining blow. When Cell literally backhanded him to be airborne and careen humiliatingly into the canyon ridge directly behind him, everyone could hear a pin drop as Hercule collided with the rock wall and slid down it to thud to the ground below.

"Heh, that's how she crumbles," Krillin joked.

"I guess Cell's got a sense of humor, or at least a soft spot for morons who show off," Piccolo drawled while the others either snickered or sneered at the ridiculous display.

Unable to help herself, Sofia phased over to Hercule, looming over the champ as he gripped at his bruised face. "Whew, you got knocked the fuck out!" Sofia giggled before placing his world champion belt on his chest and musing matter-of-factly, "I know you are the hype, Hercule, but best to sit this one out and wait for your moment."

Staring in flustered bewilderment at her while the reporter announced caustically that Hercule had landed outside the ring, meaning it counted as a knockout per the tournament rules, he was confused by her meaning until she winked conspiratorially at him before she phased out to appear next to Goku.

'What was that about?' Piccolo queried.

'Let's just say Hercule Satan is someone we should look out for,' she replied simply.

"Hmph," Piccolo grunted.

"Cell is losing his patience," Sixteen mused suddenly, earning Gohan's keen attention.

While Goku and Vegeta began to quibble over how reputable the World Martial Arts Tournament could possibly be considering Hercule was the current champion, Gohan approached the hulking Android. "Uh, excuse me, Mr. Sixteen?" When the imposing fighter glanced down stoically at him, Gohan asked, "Are you really out to kill my Dad?"

"Affirmative. That is my only directive," Sixteen remarked. "I have no other use. As a result, I was declared defective and stored away." When Gohan blinked in awe at him, the Android added, "I loathe conflict, therefore, as a weapon, I am defective."

"Huh? That's no reason to shut you down…" the young fighter frowned.

"Dr. Gero once said…he made me in the image of his deceased son. But he was bold and daring. I am not. A war machine that shuns war, is nothing but a failure," Android 16 stoically mused.

"I-I don't agree with that," Gohan replied, becoming more at ease as he declared, "I don't like to fight either. But we're both here because we want to help, right? I don't think you're defective at all."

Absorbing that, Sixteen stared down aloofly at Gohan, grunting noncommittally.

Suddenly, the sound of a helicopter coming down to hover over the area got everyone to look up in confusion. Sofia was stunned, having completely forgotten that Hercule's martial arts pupils were supposed to have made an appearance. "Shit, they're really late," she murmured to herself. _I got so caught up I totally forgot they show up, show off and—_

Cell extended two fingers upwards and with a single blast, blew the helicopter to smithereens and dust that the brusque wind scuttled away. Everyone recoiled and reacted to the shocking attack, while the reporter and cameraman barely dove for cover, causing confusion on the live feed while Hercule recoiled and ran behind the nearest boulder for safety.

Looking over to see Sofia's reaction, Piccolo was alarmed by her horrified expression.

"Enough of the silly entertainment. It's time to get the tournament started!" Cell smugly stated as he turned to smirk deviously at the Z Fighters. "Who wishes to be first? Any of you are welcomed, just don't keep me waiting…"

"Holy shit! Did he just kill everyone on that helicopter?!" Krillin stammered, terrified.

Goku was incensed. "Bastard!" he snarled as he clenched his fists in rage.

The reporter began to hysterically report the shocking turn of events when Hercule ambled over, irate. "You fool! Can't you see a stunt when it's right in front of yah?! That wasn't a REAL explosion! Cell obviously used his tricks again to make it seem like he blew that helicopter out of the sky, JUST like he used magnets to set me off balance so I'd fall out of the ring!" Hercule barked at the shorter man, who was so terrified, he was eager to buy the champ's insane rationale.

"Oh my! To the untrained eye, it looked very dire! We're so glad to have a professional like you to set us straight, Mr. Satan," the reporter strung together, while Hercule vigorously nodded along.

"How the hell did an imbecile like that ever win a title?! He has no clue what's even happening here…World Champion, my ass…" Vegeta grunted in disgust, shocked that humans would be so gullible as to refute what they'd just seen right in front of them just on the say-so of the brash buffoon.

Goku was seething with rage, and Sofia dully froze at the implications of such a divergence in the events as they were meant to occur. Her mind whirled at what to do, and how to reconcile the other decisions that would be made – leading to the drastic sacrifice Goku would inevitably make to save everyone once Cell attempted to self-destruct. The panic rose in her like a wave, even while the voices in her head whispered that there was much she could do to turn the tide. Gritting her jaw, she rushed to her friend, just as Goku seemed about to lose his temper, and placed her hand on his shoulder. Firmly, she squeezed, snapping him out of his focused glare to balk down at her.

"Don't forget what we're doing here, Goku," she murmured, eyes glowing garnet as she narrowed her gaze and whispered, "We can wish those people back, along with everyone else Cell has killed. I know it's hard to abide his cruelty, but for now, you must push that aside and focus on what you're meant to do today."

Turquoise eyes focusing intently at her while the others watched on, Goku reined in his rage and regained his cool before curtly nodding to her. Marching to climb onto the ring, Goku squared up against Cell, who pompously sneered at him before chuckling, "Well, let's get on with it."

Piccolo honed in on her psyche, sensing something he hadn't since she'd showed him what had happened between Cell and her on the battlefield. He didn't know what to make of it, but once Goku and Cell collided in battle, he was distracted to the happenings in the ring and above it, like everyone else was. Gohan had rushed forward to stare avidly at the fight, enthralled, but focused on watching every blow and cataloguing the bioengineered Android's fighting style.

Sofia, for her part, focused on what was playing out as well, keen to analyze every strike and blow to make sure nothing was going off track, while another part of her strategized what to do to turn the battle in their favor – and how to interfere to save her friend without detrimentally altering the entire timeline from it's intended course.

_Everything hinges on Gohan. In his mind, Goku doesn't think anyone else can defeat Cell, so my only chance to prevent him from following that path is to step in at some point…but I don't know how badly that will help or hurt things,_ scowling and clenching her fists at her sides, she centered her energy to use her total concentration breathing technique, deciding to stay in that state of focused ki control so she would be ready to strike. _No matter what, I will do everything I can to stop Goku from dying today…_

Intent on her goal, she turned to glance at Android 16. _He spurs Gohan to finally let go and fight Cell at full power…but at the cost of his life as well. He will get in the way,_ she thought decidedly, and using the distraction of the booming battle taking place in the sky ahead that had everyone fixated, she approached the imposing Android, standing next to him and crossing her arms as she trained her expression into a stoic mask. "Sixteen," she murmured. When the hulking Android directed his blue gaze down at her, she continued, "Remember what I told you on the last battlefield?"

Registering her guarded countenance, he responded stoically, "Yes. I presume today is the day of my demise. I have made peace with that."

"Yeah, well, I need you to _not_ do that," she muttered, watching Goku and Cell trade booming blows that altered the very atmosphere and caused violent air currents to blast across the rugged terrain.

"I do not understand," Sixteen remarked, even though his expression did not betray confusion.

"The 'prescribed course of action' is what you called it when you explained to Eighteen what my intervention was meant to protect. Today, something very innocuous has already altered the future, and I have to do some…maneuvers in order to prevent something from coming to pass as it's supposed to just to try and fix the future," she explained, her tone firm as she added, "I need you to _not_ interfere today, Sixteen. You cannot self-destruct and destroy Cell like you're planning to."

Absorbing her proclamation, Sixteen glanced across at the others before staring up at Cell, who was enjoying the battle with vicious glee. "You telling me this, in itself, is already altering the course of events, is it not?"

"Yes. I am taking a huge risk in telling you any of this, but I need you to take what I'm asking of you serious. Cell is not the last being that will want to destroy the Earth. If we save the world today, it will need saving years from now," she reasoned, hair whipping behind her from the raucous torrent of wind and dust flying about from Goku and Cell colliding in the ring. "What I'm asking of you is with the intent to make sure the fighters that need to be present in the future are…up to the task of saving the Earth then. In order to do that, I need to fuck shit up in the sequence of events and actions taken in this battle…" she trailed off, her gaze glancing over to Piccolo, who was intently watching the battle with the others. "No matter what the cost, I need to see this done."

After a long pause, Sixteen replied, "I will abide by your request."

"Thanks, Sixteen," she breathed in relief as she glanced at Gohan now. Bowing her head, Sofia smiled sadly. "I'll do my best…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PS - In case anyone is curious, I did some sketches of Sofia - both in the battle suit outfit mentioned in this chapter, and some character sketches. Check 'em out on [tumblr](https://furious-rogue-stuff.tumblr.com/post/643068357673910272/fanarts-ofc-for-twin-star-series)
> 
> .


	14. Crushing Fallout

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's a long one, but it's filled with tons of action, suspense, some trauma, and much more. Let me know what you think. Hoping I don't suck at writing battle scenes as much as I think do...

"Speech" 'Telepathy' _Thought_ _*Reminiscing*_

The battle was raging on, literally keeping the world quaking and petrified as the camera rolled on the action, trying desperately to capture every single second while the reporter acted as announcer, with a constant cajoling of Mr. Satan to chime in with his input.

The anxiety and tension was palpable among the Z Fighters, however, and with every blow Goku landed, they all recoiled or winced when Cell hammered a blow right back. In the midst of the spectating, only one of them seemed to be plotting the next stage of what needed to occur. Piccolo hadn't realized she was making the rounds until she'd approached Krillin and asked, "How many Senzu Beans do you have?"

"Huh? Oh! I have roughly a dozen. Why?" the former monk replied, eyeing her curiously.

"Just curious!" she reassured before phasing out to stand next to Piccolo. "I gotta say, it's a whole different experience standing here and watching this battle," she remarked in an odd tone.

"What're you planning?" Piccolo queried, his tone no nonsense, but low enough not to get the attention of the others.

"I can't tell you," she sighed and crossed her arms. "Anyway, we're gonna have to move—"

"Guys! Cell's going to destroy the ring!" Goku shouted in distress down at them from where he and Cell were just trading blows. "Get out of there now!"

Seeing Cell maniacally declare the rules were amended before pointing his palm down at the ring, everyone scrambled to get to safety just as the bioengineered Android blasted his energy attack and detonated it in an earth-shaking boom. From their new vantage point on top of the ridge that overlooked the now decimated area where the tournament grounds and ring once stood, Sofia looked around to make sure everyone got away. Noticing Sixteen cleared the buffoon crew to the outskirts of the rough terrain, she breathed a sigh of relief as she turned to watch Goku up in the sky.

"I'm never going to get used to your dead-on insight," Piccolo muttered as he and Gohan appeared next to her on the ridge.

"Vegeta said the same to me yesterday," Sofia snickered, shooting a glance at Trunks and Vegeta as they tensely watched the battle, while the others speculated on why Goku was waning in power. _Goku's going to hit the last leg of his battle with Cell now, and any chance I have of altering his destined path has to happen after he tosses things to Gohan…it's my only chance._

Across the desert landscape, Goku and Cell were warring for dominance now that the ring and the rules of the tournament were eliminated. Literally pushing their power against one another with their interlocked palms, their energy auras flared out violently as power collided against power before they ascended into a dizzying combo of kicks, jabs and blows that would've devastated anyone in the middle of the fray. When they resorted to lethal ki blasts, the others tensely watched Goku barely avoid a series of ki blasts Cell had flurried at him. Ascending high into the sky, Goku disarmed and outraged everyone as he began the stance for his signature energy attack.

"W-What?! No way," Krillin wheezed in horror while the others gaped up in shock.

"He's not serious! Firing off that much power is too dangerous," Yamcha stammered while Piccolo spared an appraising glance down at Sofia.

She looked guarded, completely stoic as she stared up intently on the scene overhead.

"Hah! You're bluffing," Cell barked out concededly. "There's no way you'd risk blowing up the Earth—"

"KAAAAAAAA-MEEEEEEEH—" Goku chanted determinedly with a dangerous look in his eyes, leaving everyone shaken as they felt his power skyrocket.

"No-NO, you wouldn't dare—!" Cell gasped harshly out as his magenta eyes widened in terror.

"—HAAAAAAAA-MEEEEEEH—!" Goku suddenly winked out of sight, only to appear directly in front of Cell, stupefying the bioengineered Android – who had no chance to put up his guard as the Saiyan extended his cupped hands outward and shouted, " _HAAAAAAAAAAAAH_!"

The entire earth shook violently below their feet as the blast eviscerated the top half of Cell and left dust and debris to swirl about in its wake. Unruffled, Sofia stared ahead while some of the others cheered Goku on and declared him the winner. Sobering quickly at how some of the others obviously still sensed Cell's energy, the mood quickly soured when the mangled body leapt up and the Android regenerated his body in an instant. Immediately, Cell and Goku resumed their match, violently hammering vicious blows before Cell was able to get the upper hand and punched Goku with enough force to propel him into a rocky ridge. However, the Super Saiyan blasted free of the rubble and fired an onslaught of ki blasts at Cell that actually kept him at bay, slamming into the Android's block and not allowing him to advance.

"Yeah! Goku's got him now," Krillin cheered.

"Awesome! Goku's going to win," Trunks exclaimed as everyone's spirits rallied at seeing their friend seemingly devastate Cell.

That is, until Cell suddenly unleashed a massive, psionic force field that propelled outward, giving himself the protective cover he needed while repelling anything the energy field came into contact with – leaving a crater in the ground.

Gloatingly, Cell shouted down at Goku, "Did you honestly think that would beat me?!"

Goku landed on the flattened terrain, panting raggedly while he glared up at Cell.

"Dammit…they're both winded, but Goku's power is dropping far quicker than Cell's. If he doesn't forge on, he's going to lose," Piccolo tersely barked.

Gohan stared on, bemused by the turn of events and wondering why his father was having such a hard time staying a match with Cell. While the self-aggrandizing Android taunted Goku, the others worried about what to do. Trunks, exasperated by their inaction, proposed they throw Goku a Senzu Bean so he could restore his strength and stamina.

Vegeta swiftly harangued him. "Where the hell is your Saiyan pride, boy?!" When everyone balked at him, the mercurial Saiyan snapped, "Kakarot would rather die fighting than have us interfere – or winning with those damned beans. He might be an idiot, but he's still a full-blooded Saiyan warrior."

"How the hell does that make any sense?! You're going to allow honor and pride to once again, dictate the balance of what at stake here?!" Trunks railed.

Before Vegeta could snap back at him, Sofia remarked, "While I do love how you put that, best buddy, I think what's lacking here – what's _always_ lacked amongst this crew, is perspective."

Glaring over at her, Vegeta narrowed his eyes as he barked, "What're you saying?! Perspective?"

Nodding curtly as she dropped her arms to her sides, she glanced over at him and mused, "I know it ain't your style, but have any of you tried to think ahead on what that would mean – letting Saiyan pride run roughshod on the outcome of this battle?" When everyone just gaped in tense bewilderment at her, she sighed and glanced ahead. "Never mind…" she muttered as she watched Goku seem to make a decision.

Piccolo stared at her for a moment before following her gaze. When he heard Cell taunt Goku into taking a breather and healing up, he thought his former archrival would take the bastard up on the offer. _At least Cell is just as battle-obsessed as the rest of these Saiya—_

"That's alright!" Goku shouted before powering down, shocking Cell and all of his friends standing on the ridge. "It's over, Cell. I concede. You win!"

"…What?" Cell barked, completely befuddled while still glowing with his crackling energy aura. "Are you joking?!"

"You beat me fair and square! I'm no match for your power," Goku sincerely replied, smiling confidently. "It's time for someone way more stronger to have their turn! This _is_ a tournament, after all."

"Holy shit, what is happening?! Is he seriously giving up the fight?!" Yamcha objected.

"There's no way Goku would bow out of finishing a battle – something must be wrong!" Tien reasoned.

"You gotta be fucking kidding me…" Piccolo huffed in a seething mutter as he glared down at the Saiyan, not catching Sofia's snicker.

Gohan did, however, and glanced up at her, seeing the fierce look in her eyes.

" _Someone_ else?!" Cell shouted, irritated. "Surely you don't think anyone else is strong enough to take your place!"

"I sure do!" Goku shot back, directing his turquoise gaze up at the ridge before declaring, "Gohan – you're up!"

Shocking Cell and appalling everyone else but Sofia, Goku blasted upwards to land on the ridge and give Gohan a reassuring pep talk.

"Are you high?! How the hell are you even willing to put your son in battle against Cell right now?!" Piccolo raged, looming over Goku as he shouted, "If you weren't able to defeat him, how can you even think about making Gohan take your place?!"

"Relax, Piccolo," Goku dismissively mused, smiling as he asked Gohan to confirm that he indeed, thought Goku was lagging against Cell because he'd been measuring his abilities against his own. Floored, the others watched as Gohan agreed to fight – pulling his cape canopy off and tossing it down while Cell simmered in impatience at his current vantage point.

Glancing back at Sofia, Gohan searched her expression for some reassurance. Sensing his need for approval, Sofia smiled beamingly at him. "Don't look at me like that! You're badass, Gohan," she reassured affectionately, extending her fist out to him as she added, "You got this."

Fist bumping her, he nodded and steeled himself to fly down to the ragged terrain below to stand across from where Cell was hovering up in the sky still. While her friend faced off with the imposing bioengineered Android, Sofia heard Goku ask, "Hey Krillin, got a Senzu Bean you can spare?"

"Sure! Here yah go—" just as the shorter fighter went to hand the magical bean to Goku, Sofia spun around and snatched it out of Goku's palm, and flipped in the air to land on the Super Saiyan's shoulders, who in his shock, went to exclaim in surprise. Just as his mouth opened, Sofia took the bean and slapped it down on the back of his tongue before using her strength to snap his jaw closed. Everyone else watched in startled shock as she pinched Goku's nose and hissed, "Swallow it, Kakarot!"

"What the hell are you doing?!" Piccolo exclaimed, alarmed by the random turn of event.

Eyes wide as saucers and face turning red from having his oxygen cut off, Goku reluctantly gasped a breath after swallowing the Senzu whole, earning Sofia's approving smirk as she let go of his nose and flipped herself off of his shoulders. "JEEZ! What was THAT for, Sofia?!" Goku whined in that high pitch of his as the energy and stamina boost instantly kicked in while the others sweatdropped and stared in bemusement at the woman as she pointed admonishingly at Goku and gave him a furious grin.

"You are NOT doing what you were thinking of doing, Kakarot! Like I said – perspective is _everything_ ," she whirled around and loomed over Krillin menacingly as she gestured and barked, "Give me the stash you have. I'm going to commandeer them for safe-keeping."

Sweating comically at that, Krillin dropped the sack of magical beans into her hand. "Of course! Sure thing! Totally makes sense to me," the former monk stammered nervously as he watched Sofia fish out the contents and with the preternatural quickness of her hands, hid the beans in the strategic pockets of her battlesuit. Her hands were so quick not even the others could see where she exactly placed the Senzu, and her suit did not betray any hidden spot anything could have even been concealed. Handing Krillin the pouch, Sofia deliberately closed his palm as she stared resolutely in his eyes and murmured, "Thanks, Krillin. I can always count on you."

Eyes focusing on the knowing gleam in her crimson depths, the monk nodded and hurriedly pocketed the pouch as she turned and made sure Cell was watching her.

The Android had paid attention to the entire exchange, ignoring the golden-haired boy who had also looked on in confusion at what had transpired on the ridge. The wacky behavior was chalked up to fighters squabbling over the next turn against Cell as far as the reporter nestled with his cameraman and Hercule down in the outcropping adjacent to the improvised battlegrounds was concerned. The champ cosigned it smoothly by declaring, "Oh, if my stomach wasn't still killin' me, I'd go up there and tell them I still have dibs against Cell—Ow-ohowwww!"

Smirking at her, Cell was intrigued when she seemingly raised a brow at him before crossing her arms, smirking goadingly back at him. Piccolo caught the exchange, and found himself wanting to interrogate her when the others began to lop a flurry of questions at her.

"Is this as insane as we all think it is?! Gohan's not really going to fight Cell, is he?!"

"There's no way we're letting this happen, right?!"

"What the hell is happening here, stealth—?!"

"Enough!" Piccolo barked at them, silencing the chorus of questions before glaring over at Goku. "Let me guess: you were actually going to give Cell a Senzu, weren't you?!"

Gaping in appalled shock, the others whirled on Goku as he declared, "Sure was!"

"WHAT?!" the others yelped, while Sofia turned to glance sidelong at Goku.

"Guys," Sofia remarked before suggesting glibly, "Less balking and more watching. Gohan is going to fight now."

Just as she said so, Cell – who landed to mockingly stare across from Gohan, began to egg the young Super Saiyan on. "Don't think that paltry offense your father directed at me was enough to truly deplete my energy. Even at half my strength, you're nothing but fodder for me, kid," he ridiculed. "It's pathetic he's put all his hopes on you."

'Sofia, please tell me I shouldn't worry about Gohan,' Piccolo suddenly inquired over their rapport, causing her to slightly tense. 'I don't think he has what it takes—'

'Ye of little faith!' she snapped acerbically.

When she didn't say anything else, he grunted in frustration, glaring down at the opponents below as he tried to ignore the pit of worry that was threatening to swallow him up.

For her part, Sofia tried to quell her own anxiety, even as she watched her friend fight Cell tit-for-tat. Just when he'd rally, Cell would pummel him mercilessly, only for Gohan to turn the tables and overwhelm him with a barrage of blows. It was eating away at her to watch him fight, and the fact that Cell was still an overwhelming force even without the Senzu bean recharge gave her serious reservations about her plan, but she believed it would help lessen the loss of life and hopefully bring an end to Cell in a more expedient manner.

She was biding her time now.

* * *

As soon as Piccolo saw Gohan struggle against Cell, he felt compelled and incensed by the abject rationale he'd just heard Goku give as his reasoning for throwing the young, scared, insecure boy into the fray. He was beside himself, thinking there was no way Goku was actually that deluded and clueless as a father to what truly lived in his son's heart and motivated him as a person.

"Inner fury?! THAT is what you're hinging everything on right now?!" he thundered at the golden-haired fighter.

"You've seen it yourself, Piccolo. Gohan has an innate inner strength that he's only accessed in moments of dire need," Goku explained, unwavering. "Once he loses control, he is an unstoppable force!"

As they argued, Sofia watched her friend flail against Cell, bellowing in pain as the Android viciously squeezed him in a death grip within his brawny arms – threatening to snap his bones and rupture his internal organs.

"Goddammit, Goku!" Piccolo seethed. "It doesn't matter how strong he is. He is NOT like you! Gohan does not crave the mayhem and zeal of fighting to the death the way you do. Does he even know what your grand strategy is?! Do you have any idea what he's thinking?!" he raged, cracking Goku's unwavering façade as he jabbed, "He's _never_ wanted to fight. All the training, the adversity and the doomsday-facing temerity he's mustered up to this point was under duress – not from inane desire to do so! He may have that power inside of him, but that is NOT what motivates him right now. Gohan is out there, scared and wondering why his father is standing aside and watching him take on a burden he never wanted to begin with!"

Goku looked bowled over by the unflappable logic, and realized that Piccolo could see what he'd always been too self-absorbed to notice. Horrified, Goku watched on as Gohan shouted in agony and did not tap into his power to get himself out of the bruising hold. Just as Piccolo removed his weighted gear in a rush, snapping "Screw this! I'm _not_ just going to stand here," deciding he would step in and end the brutalizing Cell was dishing out, he snapped around to look at Sofia.

"C'mon, dammit, hurry up and lose control! I want to see this furious power you're hiding," Cell cackled as he continued to squeeze Gohan while he managed to have eavesdropped on the fracas happening on the ridge. In his distraction, he did not sense her until she was standing in front of him. The breeze kicked up and rustled her hair as she glared at him. Blinking in confusion, Cell tilted his head to the side as he drawled, "Tired of standing on the sidelines, are we?"

"I want my turn now," she remarked eerily, eyes twinkling garnet under the blazing afternoon sun.

Panicked, the others stared in baffled horror from their vantage points on the ridge. "Oh no, what's she doing?!" Goku exclaimed.

Petrified, Piccolo stared in dread as he heard Cell laugh and goad, "Goku didn't name drop you as being a worthy opponent! Hell, this kid is totally an oversell as it is." Deliberately dropping Gohan out of his vice-like grip, he let the boy hit the dirt hard with a gasping yelp of pain. "Why would I bother—?"

"You _do_ know my power level can't be sensed, right?"

Pausing, Cell focused his gaze intently on her as he grunted humorlessly, "And your point is?"

"C'mon, Celly-welly!" she quipped, hands on her hips as she sauntered closer and mused, "You're gonna deny me a fight, after everything up to now?" Stooping down to grab Gohan and lifting him effortlessly before hoisting him onto her shoulder. "We never finished our fight, and I did say I wanted to battle you today, so why not humor me?"

"Put him down," Cell huffed, knowing she was obviously trying to abscond with the boy and take him out of harm's way.

"Sofia, don't worry about me—" Gohan attempted, and stopped when she tugged on their telepathic link.

'Gohan, listen to me very carefully. I know you don't believe in this, and you want to give Cell every chance to walk away, but it's not going to happen. It's unfair to have placed this burden on you, and I know it isn't easy for you to tap into that inner power of yours, so just do me a favor and let me fight for you,' Sofia explained purposefully. 'I love you, ok?' she mused protectively, rebuttal absolute as she tossed him away to land on the sidelines of where she and Cell were standing. "Less whining, Gohan. I'm tagging in now," she remarked and smirked at Cell. "Or will you deny me a fight?"

"Oh my god, that curvy hottie is going to fight Cell!" the cameraman whispered in shock, leaving the reporter and Hercule to balk with dropped jaws.

"Oh, the humanity! After trouncing the young boy, now Cell's next challenger is a bodacious beauty who seems to have tagged in to battle the dastardly monster!" the reporter play-by-played with flair while Hercule gulped and watched on.

"This is madness! We can't let her do this," Trunks shouted, irate that they were yet again just standing by and not jumping in to provide support.

"Piccolo, is she strong enough to fight Cell?" Goku inquired tensely to the taller fighter.

"I don't know, but if we try to interfere now, we could do more damage than help – they're between us and Gohan, and there's no telling why she stepped in to challenge Cell herself—"

"I highly doubt that, Namek," Vegeta shot bitingly over at Piccolo. "She is not a showboat like Kakarot—"

"Oh, just Goku's the showboat now?" Tien muttered.

"—And she's not reckless enough to get involved in a battle unless she has a deliberate reason to do so. Something's gone off track with the sequence of events, and this is her attempt at fixing it, is it not?!" Vegeta continued, resolute in his theory. "What is she trying to fix?"

Scowling, Piccolo huffed and glared back down at the impending fight happening below, feeling his heart race from the turmoil he was witnessing and the foreboding anxiety he felt. Seeing his twin star prepare to put herself in harm's way to save Goku made every fiber in his being want to rebel and step in, but he knew he was no match for Cell. Following his glare, Goku tensely watched as Cell gloatingly chuckled across from her.

Eyes gleaming with twisted intrigue, Cell finally smiled devilishly at her before remarking with a dark edge to his tone, "Fine. So be it. A fight is what you'll get, girl. I'm going to enjoy wiping the smirk off that face of yours…!"

* * *

Sixteen didn't know what to do. From his vantage point, he could register the elevated stress levels amongst the other fighters, heard the panic from the humans broadcasting below, and saw the fear in young Gohan's eyes as Sofia smirked brashly, standing across from Cell. The probability she would be successful in defeating Cell was low, but the thing he found his thought process returning to was her petition from earlier.

When Cell threatened to wipe the smirk off her face, Sixteen saw how said smirk only widened as she snickered, "Aww, that's not very nice. And here I was going to offer you one of these." Fishing the Senzu Bean from its hidden pocket with a sleight of hand, she held it out dramatically, causing him to grunt in amazement while everyone else gasped in shock. Using her pointed thumbnail, she flicked it at him, and when he caught it and stared down at it before staring wide-eyed at her, Sofia mused, "Ah, c'mon. An all-out fight is what I want, Celly-welly. Can't have that when you're all winded still."

"Sofia what're you doing?!" Piccolo bellowed from his perch on the ridge while Goku gaped in confusion and the others exchanged shouts of bewilderment.

Grinning, Cell shook his head as he laughed, "You are just _full_ of surprises, aren't you, Sofia?" Popping the bean in his mouth, he chewed it vigorously before getting the instant power-up zing. His aura pulsated like camphor around his humanoid frame while his muscles recovered from any strain and fatigue left over from his matches with Goku and Gohan. "Oh, this is exhilarating! What a wonderful boost, hahaha!"

Completely besides himself, Gohan watched with panicked turquoise eyes, not knowing what to do but feeling helpless, until Sofia glanced at him over her shoulder and smiled, giving him a thumb's up as she assured, "Whatever happens, I'm ok with dying, alright, kid?"

Thunderstruck, Gohan felt a pang of tumultuous emotions seize him as she confidently turned and fell into her fighting stance.

"Hah! And dying is just what I think I'll gift you with," Cell boasted caustically. "Unless, you want to take me up on my offer—?"

Taking a quick inhalation of breath, Sofia suddenly appeared right in front of Cell and punched him across the face before thunderously plowing her other fist into his solar plexus, rocking the Android and doubling him over before she drove her knee with bruising force into his chin, propelling him up to the sky. Everyone watching literally gaped at the combo while Hercule and the reporter shouted in amazed excitement, startling the cameraman, who almost dove to the ground.

Recovering quickly, Cell stopped his ascent and gritted his jaw, furiously snapping his gaze to glare down at Sofia. "What the hell—?!"

"Psst, over here!" he heard on his left and turned right into the roundhouse kick she pummeled across his face.

"Holy shit…are you guys seeing this?!" Yamcha marveled as he gawked upwards, watching Sofia toy with the Android who seemed off of his bearings for some reason.

"I-I can't believe it! She's so quick," Trunks exclaimed, blue eyes blazing with awe as he watched Sofia move with such speed that it seemed to be vexing Cell.

"Whoaaa," Goku stared in wonder. "Is that a new technique?!"

Piccolo was too petrified to answer, so he instead focused on Sofia as she avoided Cell's flurry of punches.

"What the hell?! How're you suddenly this fast?" Cell growled impatiently at her as she maneuvered and dodged his blows. _Dammit—I can't sense her power level…_

"Oh, I'll tell you if you can HIT me, hahaha!" Sofia laughed as she dodged his next punch, gripped his forearm in mid spin and with all her might, flipped him in mid-air to snap him downwards to the ground.

Recovering his flight before touching the ground, Cell spun around looking for her. "You're cheating!" When she appeared like a sprite across from him – aura flickering around her – he gritted his jaw and narrowed his gaze dangerously at her.

"I am not!" she laughed maniacally as she suddenly phased in and plowed her knee into the small of his back, propelling him to skid across the terrain before he roared and used the momentum to flip himself upside down and shoot a volley of ki blasts at her.

Standing her ground, she finally let her ki leak full-blown into her aura before she held her hand palm out and materialized a psionic force field of her molded, crimson energy. The ki blasts detonated against the barrier, igniting flashes and kicking up dust as she flicked her wrist to will the force field to bend and snap the energy back towards Cell. Avoiding the deflected energy, Cell raced at full speed towards her, volleying over the barrier to drive a series of powerful kicks down on her. Smiling, she bent backwards to avoid Cell's roundhouse kick before flipping backwards and using her agile, fluid moves to avoid his offense.

Gohan watched from where he was kneeling, floored by Sofia's power. "How…how is she able to hold her own?" he wondered, mystified.

When she took a deep inhalation of breath, she channeled it to force all her chakras to open and for the ki to overflow – going forth into every vessel, tissue and through her bloodstream until she swore her pulse was like thunder in her ears. Eyes glowing from the consuming power that burned through her, Sofia powered up with a feral shout – with such force that the atmosphere burst around her, propelling the air currents and the dust to swirl around her turbulently. Cell stared wide-eyed before sneering, "You were holding out on me before."

Engulfed in her crimson aura, Sofia grinned as her gaze stopped glowing to reveal the cunning look in her eyes as she declared, "Oh, that's not true. I just wasn't fighting you all-out the last time."

"Bullshit," he spat, his aura kicking up vehemently around him. "I've seen the power in you from before. You're just not afraid to unleash it now," Cell hissed before suddenly smirking. "That means you took my advice," he sauntered, eyes gleaming smugly as she wrinkled her nose disdainfully at him. "Instead of wasting your talent for prognostication on trying to help these weak fools, you should use your talents and come stand by my side. After all, there's true wickedness in you. There's no denying it…"

Scowling for the first time, she began to float as she allowed her ki to skyrocket. "Is that a fact?" she hissed, the scalding vapor coming off her aura in scintillating waves as she allow her ki to glow about her frame to flare like fire around her. "What makes you think you could HANDLE all this wickedness?" When she saw his smirk twitch into a sneer, she jabbed, "I saw the look on your face. Whatever you stirred to come forth last time? It scared you," she sing sung darkly, hair undulating sinuously behind her shoulders as she flexed and allowed her ki to continue to rise.

"Hah! Say what you want, girl, but that acrimonious fury isn't something you can keep bottled up for long. It's there, waiting to be torn free. I'm only happy to oblige it," Cell viciously purred, his tone hitting that gravelly tenor that roughened his usually pompous timbre.

Causing the ground to tremor under the pressure of her power up, Sofia concentrated her seething anger at the smug Android while she simultaneously took in a deep inhalation of air before she felt the strain in her chest. "No, that's not it either. I've learned to channel my rage into a focused point, so I won't need your help to uncork that power when I channel—" she suddenly appeared in front of him as she swiftly cupped her hands in front of her and declared boisterously, "—My fury to burn _through_ me!"

"Wha-whaaat?!" Cell protested before her blazing energy wave coalesced like scalding mercury and searing into molten fire from her palms that she fired directly at him.

The landscape exploded with a blazing flash of light before her attack detonated in the distance of the uninhabited rugged terrain, sending everyone to brace against the aftershocks as the wind blew turbulently across the expanse.

When Gohan gritted against the strain of the light to peer through his lowered lids, he was shocked to see Sofia glowing like she was incased in dark, red flames. The fire of her aura was unlike anything he'd seen before, and the sight distracted him momentarily from noticing Cell was still in the path of her attack, but his entire left side was gone from his hip up to his shoulder.

Sofia fought the agonizing strain that zinged across her nervous system and caused her blood vessels to feel like they were filled with lava. Exhaling, steam came off of her body as if molten vapor was coming from the depths of her core.

"It's unbelievable! The crimson Amazonian woman unleashed such a destructive attack that it seems to have wounded Cell!" the reporter exclaimed in dramatic fashion while Hercule shrunk in bewildered stupefied disbelief behind the boulder. "What do you think of her devastating technique, champ?!"

When the mic was shoved in his face, Hercule quickly jumped to his feet and puffed his chest out as he rumbled, "Y-yeah, I'd say that was some fancy fireworks stringin' she did, and Cell was just a dummy that stepped into her trap. I certainly wouldn't need all the razzle-dazzle just to beat that fugly freak, but—" realizing the reporter was ogling him for his recovered boasting posture, he suddenly feigned a lurch of pain and keeled over dramatically, "Oh there I go straining my aching stomach, damn~!"

Cell gritted his jaw, seething through his teeth as he mustered the effort to regenerate the damaged portion of his body before flexing his new left arm. "Oh, you are going to _pay_ for that!"

Sofia smirked again, but the strain was evident in her features as she fell into her fighting stance. "You can't pick a lane, Celly-welly. Are you gonna kill me, make me pay, or let me be your partner-in-crime, hmmm?" she taunted, her tone smoky. Her throat burned from the total concentration breathing, and the fatigue was starting to set in across her circulatory system. _Just hold out for a little longer—!_

"That technique…it's hurting her," Goku suddenly gasped, eyes focused as he assessed the tension he could read from her fighting stance. "She can't keep it up! It must be damaging her body to exert so much power."

"Oh no!" Krillin worried, eyes quivering as he heard Cell's sudden cackle.

"Hahahahah!" the bioengineered Android guffawed maniacally before shaking his head sardonically at her taunt. "Oh, I decided a lane alright," he chuckled darkly, expression sobering as he narrowed his eyes and hissed, "I'm going to _eviscerate_ you!"

Extending his arm to point his palm at her, he unleashed a powerful energy blast to careen directly at her. The scalding energy razed the ground beneath it as it slashed a path towards Sofia.

"No! Sofia—look out!" Gohan shouted in terror as he watched her stand her ground as if she was not going to dodge the enormous energy blast.

Bracing her hands out in front of her, she laced her ki to fortify her arms and focused her aura to tighten protectively around her frame just as the golden blast collided against her energy-incased palms. Skidding aggressively backwards from the momentum of the blast, she dug her heels in and concentrated on cannibalizing the fierce energy and absorbing it into her own.

Stunned to see his blast stop and not detonate, Cell froze when he saw the energy suddenly flicker and dissolve into a wave that was seemingly absorbed into Sofia. The atmosphere dropped before a raucous power up exploded outward as she managed the feat of internalizing the energy and turning it into her own souped-up power now. Her dark red aura was now a hot-orange hue as it scintillated around her, crackling about the outer membrane with lighting as she took a cleansing inhalation of breath and fueled her aching circulatory system with the boosted energy. Enveloped in the co-mingled energy, everyone was finally able to sense her power level, and the registered zenith was not something anyone found possible.

"That's Cell's ki signature!" Vegeta shouted, shocked, before amending, "No—wait, it—is that her…her true power level is—"

Filtered by Cell's energy, they could sense her ki signature for the first time, and it seemed bottomless.

"Her power cannot be measured," Sixteen stoically stated, startling everyone to stare in amazement at him as he added, "My sensors cannot quantify such power. It is beyond anything machine or ki-sensing can assess."

Staring in startled awe, Cell marveled at what he was sensing. "Oh…oh _yes_!" he shouted, wickedly gleeful as he drawled, "I can sense your power now, and it's delectable!" Healing factor boosted, Sofia exhaled the vapor from her lungs and rushed at a gliding slash across the distance to hammer her fist against Cell, when he blocked it with his forearms. "You commandeered my energy! What an ingenious way to turn an attack against an opponent. It's delightful," he goaded charismatically, letting his tone drop to a gravelly husk as he snapped, "But it's still no match for me!" Pivoting, Cell punched her across the face, snapping her head to the side from the violent momentum before she could recover and block the next punch he plowed into her stomach. Then, he pulled back to strike her with a slash he intended to drop down across her shoulder.

Arm rising suddenly to block his slashing blow, Sofia dug her nails in and slowly turned to glower up at him. The corner of her mouth was gashed and a trickle of blood oozed down to her chin, but Cell didn't focus long on the wound once he saw it mend shut just as she grinned malevolently at him. "Oooh, that total concentration breathing gave me a real edge, but this energy of yours?" she chuckled while he stared and gritted his jaw in aggravation as he tried to pull his arm out of her vice-like grip.

"You devious little bitch!" Cell snarled as he realized she was raising her power level and igniting her coalescing aura to envelope around them into a burning, tight psionic sphere. "You tricked me!" he bellowed in a rancorous rage before trying to strike her with his free arm before she gripped it and pinned it in place as well, which instantly triggered déjà vu for him as he looked into her glowing, crimson eyes. "N-no, no-no-no-no, not again!" he roared just as Sofia took a deep inhalation of breath.

Honing all of the energy she had acquired from Cell's attack, she focused it to coalesce in the back of her throat with her total concentration breathing and when she felt it hit critical mass – beginning to sear her own tissue – she sneered and bared her fangs at him before opening her jaws and shouting a fierce cry just as she fired the energy beam out to blast directly into Cell's face.

The sphere she'd erected around them kept the violent blast and it's fallout contained from eradicating anything else, managing to detonate and rock the earth, but not cause any damage. Slowly, the red-membrane-like energy of the sphere cracked before shattering and blasting turbulently apart, causing a violent burst of air current to undulate outwards from the epicenter. When the dust and the aftershocks cleared, everyone gaped across the distance to see what was left.

Piccolo felt his heart drop when he saw Sofia's silhouette misleadingly look as if she was in one piece before the remaining haze cleared and revealed she was wavering on her feet. Expression drawn in pain, her energy finally gave out, causing her body to go slack. When she fell in a death drop to the ground with a harsh thud, everyone shouted in horror at not being able to sense her ki signature anymore.

"Oh my god, please don't tell me she's dead!" Krillin shouted in panic while the others tried to make sense of what was going on.

"No…she's not dead. The energy she took from Cell – she must've redistributed into that last attack. We can't sense her anymore because that energy is no longer enveloping and filtering around hers," Vegeta tensely rasped, shocked by the daring strategy.

Stunned, Gohan stared across the distance, fearing the worst, when he finally saw Sofia stir. "S-she's alive!" the demi-Saiyan shouted in ecstatic relief.

The cavernous crater she was struggling to crawl away from was still smoldering from her blast, having been the spot Cell had been standing on when she concentrated her attack to level him from such a close range. Coughing, she hoarsely rasped gulps of air before wincing at the searing burn and stinging pain that wracked her body.

'Sofia! Are you all right?!'

Shakily, she dug her talon-like nails into the ground for purchase as she slowly and laboriously pulled herself up to her knees, gasping and hissing from the effort. 'Yeah…' she whimpered telepathically to Piccolo as she glanced back at the crater.

"—A-amazing! The Crimson Maven seems to have leveled a devastating psionic blast that has eradicated Cell! He's nowhere to be found, leaving only a smoldering crater behind," the reporter enthusiastically detailed while Hercule's eyes bulged out at the insane sight. "What a fierce, fearless femme fatale, ladies and gentlemen!"

"Sofia! You did it!" Glancing up and across the distance at Gohan, Sofia gritted her teeth against the strain so she could sit up and wave reassuringly at her friend.

'Piccolo…can you still sense Cell?' she whispered as she pulled herself up to her feet before nursing her aching torso.

"Is it just me, or has Cell's power level disappeared?!" Tien queried tensely.

"I don't sense it either!" Yamcha assured, whirling around excitedly. "That means Sofia blew him to smithereens with that attack! So badass—"

"Incorrect." Everyone paused to acknowledge Sixteen, who had not budged from his spot. Staring down and stoically measuring the terrain below with his sensors, the hulking Android remarked in a resolute monotone, "That attack was not powerful enough to have destroyed Cell."

"Th-th-then…that means he's still alive?!" Krillin stammered while Goku and Piccolo suddenly sensed a shift in the atmosphere below.

Turning back to balk down at the battered site Sofia was at, Goku bellowed, "Look out, Sofia! Cell's below you—!"

Before he could finish shouting his warning, the ground below detonated in a violent explosion that flung Sofia backwards to crash and tumble across the ground and sent everyone to brace against the turbulent quaking and flying debris just as Cell appeared from the cavernous crater and floated upwards to loom over the devastation. Irascible, the bioengineered fighter glared murderously down at her and glowered deeper when he didn't see any surprise, shock or fear in her expression. Instead, her features tensed, but as if relieved?! " _YOU_!" he growled in a furious, guttural tone. "How DARE you use my power against ME?!" he bellowed, powering up in a haughty rage and petrifying the humans broadcasting from the sidelines over yonder.

"Oh no…" Gohan wheezed as he froze in terror.

_This is it for me…I don't have enough power to put up much of a fight now,_ Sofia resigned herself to having exhausted her plan, shoulders drooping as she dropped her arms to her sides and stood her ground against Cell. "You literally are comprised of stolen energy, Celly-welly. I figured I'd give you a taste of your own medicine, heh," she quipped, her voice raspy as she gave him a goading, lopsided smirk.

Irate at her unwavering audacity, Cell flew down and landed directly in front her, purposely looming as he glowered down his nose at her. When she just grinned up at him, he finally snapped, punching her viciously in her stomach. Doubled over in overwhelming pain, Sofia coughed her gasp, losing her breath as he spun and kicked her directly in the center of her chest, propelling her brutally to smash through several solid-rock boulders before bursting through one to skid and roll across the ground until she slumped only yards away from Gohan, who was horrified and frozen in terror for his friend.

"SOFIA!" Piccolo hollered in distress and rushed forward until Goku had to hold him back, thwarting him from blasting off to her defense.

"You crass, conniving little bitch," Cell ground out darkly as he stomped angrily towards her, taking his time as he let his fury boil with every step. "Since I got to this _miserable_ timeline, you've done _nothing_ but interfere," he seethed, watching as she struggled to recover. When she rolled onto her side and faced away from him, he took that as yet another slight. "I will take my time in punishing your insolence!"

Gohan yelled in horror as he watched Cell leap into the sky, but froze when his wide, horrified gaze landed on Sofia's. _*Whatever happens, I'm ok with dying, alright, kid?*_ There was a smile in her crimson eyes as she lovingly looked across at him just as Cell drove his knee mercilessly into her back.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Sofia cried out in agony, contorting in pain as Cell ground into her spine and crushed her into the ground. Wilting flat against the dirt, she was raggedly panting when the bioengineered hopped up and kicked her to roll onto her back, where she winced and shouted in physical distress – coughing up bloody spittle from the internal trauma caused by his blows.

"That's more like!" Cell barked down at her. "No more of that brave, fierce façade! The bravado is gone," he tersely quipped. "This is where you belong, Sofia. In agony, groveling at my feet."

Panting, she harshly scoffed suddenly, opening her eyes and gritting against the pain to actually grin at him as she rasped, "Who's groh-veling?" Temper vein popping to life on the side of his carapace head, Cell struggled with his exasperated umbrage, sputtering in ireful consternation, especially when she sneered, "I thought you were gonna wipe the smirk off my face, you big throbbing, sketchy prick!"

Flummoxed by what they heard, the Z Fighters balked as they watched Cell's demeanor literally darken with something cruel and dangerous when he furiously aimed his open palms at point-blank range down at Sofia as he began to charge up a devastating blast and roar, "YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH?! THEN I'LL FULFILL IT FOR YOUUUUUU!"

Closing her eyes as she sensed him charge up his ki for what was sure to be a destructive blast, Sofia smiled as she telepathically mused, 'I'm leaving him to you, Gohan. Give him hell for me…'

"SOFIA!" Gohan shouted as he dashed to run to her defense.

Piccolo fought against Goku, trying to push the stronger fighter off to rush to Sofia, even though he knew he would surely perish as well.

Suddenly leaping into action and surprising Cell by restraining him in a bear hug, thwarting his ability to fire the attack on Sofia, Android 16 squeezed his powerful arms until he locked him into his vice-like grip. "GAH—Sixteen?! What're you doing?!" Cell bit out in consternation, trying to shake himself loose of the other Android's deft hold.

Reaching Sofia, Gohan helped her sit up. "Ack—what?!" she blearily looked up and was stunned to see Sixteen restraining Cell. "S-Sixteen?! No!" she shouted in panic, trying to rush to her feet, but wincing from the effort.

"He saved you, Sofia," Gohan explained as he helped hoist her onto her feet, letting her brace herself against his frame so she could get her bearings.

"Oh, thank Kami," Goku breathed a sigh of relief.

"He took advantage of Cell not being able to sense him," Trunks reasoned, bowled over.

Piccolo shoved Goku off and stared ambivalently down at the scene, not sure what to do. "He saved her, but that's not what she intended," he ruminated out loud before it dawned on him that Sofia must've not wanted the Android's intervention. "Dammit, we gotta jump in and help them—!"

"No! Stay back. I am going to engage self-destruction!" Sixteen called out, warning, "You must take cover. I've been fitted with an explosive apparatus. You mustn't come closer – it's unlikely you'll be able to withstand the blast."

Cell actually flinched, tensing in fear and knowing Android 16 was not bluffing. As he continued to struggle against his iron grip, Sixteen glanced down at Sofia, who reluctantly fished out one of the hidden Senzu Beans in a slit along her wrist before popping it between her lips and chewing on it. As soon as the influx of energy and stamina fueled her depleted system, restoring her power, she glared balefully at the redheaded Android and hollered, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING, SIXTEEN?!"

Smiling quirkily at her, the usually stoic Android mused, "I am sorry, but I could not stand by and let Cell go on."

Eyes softening, her brows furrowed as she gripped Gohan's shoulder and stared pleadingly into Sixteen's blue eyes. "Sixteen—"

"Dammit—LET GO OF ME!" Cell bellowed, desperate to escape his grasp.

"Cell, I know now that I MUST rid the world of your evil presence, no matter the cost. We will BOTH be destroyed. All of Dr. Gero's senseless and cruel ambitions will die here!" Sixteen railed, losing his bottled temper and astounding everyone as he shouted, "You're finished!"

Beginning to glow as he initiated his self-destruct sequence, everyone stood frozen with bated breath, realizing dully that Sofia and Gohan were far too close to what would've likely been the blast radius when suddenly, Android 16's aura wound down, and no detonation occurred.

Everyone, having been bracing for the blast, gaped when Sixteen balked and shouted, "What—? A malfunction? Why did I not self-destruct?!"

"Oh crap…you didn't know?!" Krillin shouted; gob smacked while the others grunted in confusion. "Bulma and Dr. Briefs found your bomb when they repaired you, and removed it – just to be safe!"

Shocked, Sixteen's jaw dropped while Cell absorbed the news with gusto. When the hulking Android directed his mystified stare to Sofia, he instantly understood why she'd told him not to interfere when he saw the grief in her eyes.

"Well, it sucks to be you, doesn't it, Sixteen," Cell sinisterly chuckled as he pushed against the Android's waning grip, smirking depravedly as he groused, "I think _you're_ finished!"

Slipping his palm backwards, he blasted Sixteen with a destructive attack that blew him up on contact, demolishing him into scraps and limbs, horrifying everyone by the finality of such a blow. Gohan gasped in dismay at the cruel attack while Sofia gritted her jaw and fought back the tears that threatened to well in her eyes. Sixteen's head clattered to the ground at Cell's feet, and for emphasis, he propped his foot over it as he chuckled smugly, "Well, looks like you join the lengthy list of Dr. Gero's failures, Sixteen. Bon voyage!" Pulling his foot back, he punted Sixteen's head like it was a football, driving it across the expanse of the terrain to clatter against a rocky slope before bouncing and careening to land in front of the rocky cover the Z-TV crew and Hercule were hiding behind – instantly petrifying them to yelp in shock.

Clenching her fists, Sofia stood her ground as Cell chuckled superciliously before turning to admire her and Gohan.

'Kid, whatever happens, I need you to stop being afraid,' Sofia instructed telepathically to Gohan. When he stared nervously up at her, she added, '…you need to tap into that power deep inside of you and not let up until Cell is destroyed!'

"Dammit, we gotta do something," Piccolo growled, watching as Cell loped towards Sofia and Gohan.

"If we all rush him, we could have a fighting chance—!" Trunks shouted, trying to rally the troops.

"Right!" Goku agreed, and just as they prepared to rush into the fray, they froze when Cell raised his index finger and pointed it dangerously at Sofia and Gohan as he began to charge a blast similar to Frieza's Death Beam.

"Those of you in the cheap seats won't dare interfere, or else I'll annihilate these two on the spot!" Cell shouted deviously. When they hesitated but remained reluctantly in tense anger on the ridge, he smirked at the two fighters. "You know? I've realized that the two of you have something in common," he remarked offhandedly as he cut the distance between them, his finger still glowing with the russet ki distinctive of the Death Beam. When neither asked him what he meant, Cell sneered and bit out, "You're _both_ all talk! You—" he pointed his finger to Gohan. "Pontificating and sermonizing about some hidden, dangerous power within you – only unleashed when you're pushed to the brink? Where IS it then?! And _you_ ," he pointed at Sofia, snarling, "Teasing me with the prospect of true, unadulterated malevolence, only to play more of your goddamned games and not LOSE CONTROL already so I can see what you're truly made of!"

Scowling, Sofia stood in front of Gohan as she mused, "You're just mad because I didn't take you up on your offer to be your girlfriend."

Brow ridge twitching in irritation, Cell suddenly phased forward and snatched Sofia up by the throat, hoisting her until her feet dangled as he squeezed and gave her a hard, exasperated shake. Gohan was knocked backwards by Sofia shoving him away before Cell's hand circled her neck, so he watched in horror as she flailed and gasped from the deft grip around her throat. Attempting to break his hold, Sofia thrust her arm towards him, with her hand palm out, but Cell gripped her wrist and wrenched her arm to the side, causing her to cry out in pain as he twisted the limb almost to the point of jerking it loose from the shoulder joint.

"Damn you!" Piccolo thundered, wanting to rush into the fray, but was struggling against being held back by Krillin and Goku.

"You can't! He'll hurt her," Krillin tried to reason with him.

Irate, Piccolo watched as Cell leaned close to her and hissed, "What's wrong? Got no nasty retorts for me now?!"

Sofia gasped, body flinching under the duress of his chokehold, leaving her unable to get a wisp of air to use her total concentration breathing. She could feel his fingertips knead the tendons in her neck, putting so much pressure there that it was cutting the blood flow off and making her dizzy.

"STOP IT!" Gohan railed, powering up in a rage, like he had before Cell had battered his resolve. The twinge of his power level spiking dangerously was enough to be sensed by Sofia as she struggled to stay conscious.

Pausing in intrigue, Cell chuckled wickedly at the reaction inflicting torture on Sofia had garnered from the young fighter. "Well," he chuckled as he loosened his grip from Sofia's neck, allowing her to catch a gulp of breath. "It would seem Gohan's rage is tapped solely when someone he _cares_ about gets hurt, hmm?" he husked charmingly at Sofia when he pulled her close, hand still wrapped like a collar around her throat when he twisted her to be pressed back-first against his torso so he could dangle her like a trigger object. "So, it stands to reason, if I hurt any _more_ people, you'll get motivated – dare I say –finally get mad enough to unleash your true power. I could break Sofia here in half," he suggested as he squeezed her throat again, for emphasis, sneering, "But I'd like her to watch what suffering I inflict, so…" he trailed off as he glanced up at the ridge. Counting the fighters in a lilting tone, he braced himself for the physical effort of forming the energy he needed for his next technique.

Trying to use the opportunity to fight free of his hold, Sofia elbowed him fiercely in the ribs, but Cell thwarted her attempts by bracing his forearm around her throat, putting her in a one-armed chokehold as he used his free arm to flex and bare down the force required to trigger his body to produce seven identical miniature creatures that held some resemblance to him, but acted like the Saibamen of yesteryear. Emerging after having been expelled from his contracting stinger on his back, the mean minions flexed and tauntingly prattled behind Cell, to the chagrin and revulsion of the Z Fighters.

"Oh man, what the hell are those?!" Yamcha jeered tensely.

"They're little monstrous bastards," Piccolo snarled, sensing their power levels and glowering that they were comprised of enough of Cell's energy to be real challenges.

Thunderstruck by the horrible sight, Gohan stood in frozen terror, not wanting to risk having Cell hurt Sofia more. "Listen, my new offspring. The fools standing on that ridge are your targets. Go forth and give them pain – or better yet? Kill them all!" Cell instructed maniacally, gripping Sofia against his body as he whispered, "And they _will_ all die, now that I have you in my grasp."

"Watch yourselves! They're ridiculously strong, you guys," Goku called out to the others.

Colored shades of blue, teal and navy, the Cell Juniors rushed the ridge to engage in melee attacks while Cell let up on the pressure around Sofia's windpipe so she could gasp and pant hungrily for air. Leaning in, lips coming dangerously close to brushing against her temple, he husked, "You were planning on running interference, weren't you? That's why you took the Senzu Beans for safekeeping – so you could act as a one-woman triage, right?" pausing when she gritted her teeth and sneered, he chuckled goadingly, "Well, too bad for you that you overestimated your abilities against me!"

Hissing, she glanced at Gohan as best as she could, and saw the tumult in his turquoise eyes. The amount of pressure Cell had been using had made it impossible for her to use her total concentration breathing, and no matter how much she focused, her mind was a tumult on what to do to try and avoid the deadly outcome she'd been hell-bent on thwarting. _Gohan has to lose control and not let up on Cell. He can defeat him in one precise attack…I just need to keep him committed._

Broadcasting the entire melee, the Z-TV crew tried their best to capture all the action while providing a play-by-play of what was happening. "—The squad of Cell Juniors are bringin' the pain against the unnamed fighters on the ridge while the dastardly Cell seemingly holds the crimson-clad fighter hostage. Could this be the moment for the one and only world champ to head back into the fray?!" Shoving the microphone back into Hercule's distracted face, the reporter inquired, with flair, "Whaddayasay, champ?! It looks like your stomach trouble has disappeared!"

"Huh? Oh—guaaaaaah! There it goes again! Oh-ow-ow-ow this pain is excruciating," Hercule dramatically overacted and excused himself, to the slight bewilderment of the reporter, until he caveated, "I just haven't harped about it, on the account of not being a huge wuss-ball, alright?!"

Meanwhile, Sofia watched on as the others struggled to keep their defense up against their Cell Junior, leaving them open to the melee-style fighting the little monsters were adept to. 'Piccolo and Goku!' she suddenly shouted telepathically over at them, earning their perked up attentions. 'One-on-one ain't gonna work with those little fuckers! You gotta tag team 'em,' she explained as she stopped struggling against Cell's hold.

"Right!" Goku nodded and flipped to be next to Piccolo so they could work together in battering one Cell Junior at a time. Focused on the task, Goku shouted to the others, "Guys – partner up and fight them back!"

Yamcha and Tien did so, but Vegeta snarled, "Pathetic! I don't need anyone's help!"

Trunks struggled – even in Super Saiyan form – to best his Cell Junior while Krillin was poorly trying to evade and dodge the sadistic minion that was on him like a rabid dog. When said monster spun kicked him to slam to the ground, Krillin had no chance to recover before the Cell Junior flew down and pummeled him with a drilled knee to the back.

"Holy hell, they're getting annihilated, dude!" the Z-TV cameraman stammered to the reporter. "We gotta get out of here while the getting is good."

"Outrageous! We can't abandon our post – it's our journalistic duty to document this for the world!" the reporter harangued. "And besides, Mr. Satan still hasn't rushed in to save the day—!"

"Y-yeah! And I'll definitely do JUST that – once I've gotten checked out at the hospital, of course," Hercule stuttered with dramatic bravado.

"Wait. Please…help me."

Startled, the three men began to look around at each other, wondering who'd just spoken up. When each shook their head, indicating they hadn't been the ones to say anything, they blinked lamely at each other, before shrugging.

"Over here." When they looked down, they stared at the severed head discarded at the ground, and leapt out of their skin when Sixteen petitioned, "Please help me. Before you go, please – carry what is left of me to the boy so I may speak to him!"

"How are you still talking?! You're just a _head_!" the reporter yelped while Hercule's eyes bulged and the cameraman trembled in bemused shock.

"Please—do it for the sake of the planet," Sixteen pleaded.

"Are you nuts?! Cell is _right_ next to the kid! Forget it, bud," Hercule railed.

"Agreed! No sane person would do something that reckless," the reporter concurred.

"You claim to be The World's Greatest Champion. It's not too late for you to play your part," Sixteen encouraged, focusing on Hercule, who was quivering in his boots at the notion.

"Mr. Satan is THE greatest fighter alive! He doesn't have to get himself killed just to prove himself by fighting monsters and robots—!"

"WHAT?! The champ ain't scared of nobody—man, metal or monster! I'll take 'em all on…once I get checked out at the hospital," Hercule boomed before losing his nerve.

"Please…be a champion," Sixteen insisted with firmness.

Sweating and stressing at the prospect of looking like a coward – but also weighing the potential of being caught in the chaos of battle – Hercule warred with his better angels, and found himself relenting to the notion that he wanted to make his daughter proud. Cutting and running was not gonna hack it. "Alright…so I just gotta get you close enough…?"

* * *

The tide had turned on the Z Fighters. Under the unrelenting brutality of the Cell Juniors, each found themselves barely scraping by – avoiding annihilation by sheer will. Vegeta had done all in his powered up state to crush his opponent, only to have the diminutive monster deflect his attack like it was mere child's play. Yamcha had taken a beating, leaving him wailing in agony after his Cell Junior had crushed his arm sadistically, just to watch him flail in agony. Tien and Krillin were getting pummeled while Trunks grappled laboriously to keep his defense up. Having been forced to repel the Cell Juniors by throwing literally all the energy they could muster, Piccolo and Goku were struggling to not be overwhelmed completely by the chaotic creatures.

Incensed, Gohan began to lose all hope as he watched everyone so close to the precipice of defeat. His power was percolating, tears beginning to stream down his face at the impotent fear that was becoming rage within him at the devastation before him. "Just stop this!" he shouted vehemently, earning Cell's smug smirk as he gloatingly jerked Sofia to turn with him.

"I guess one last push in required," Cell purred in her ear as he brutishly pawed his hand down the curve of her side, pulling her to stand on her tippy toes, taut against him as he shouted, "Heed me, my children! Playtime is _over_. Destroy these weak fools." Sofia could feel Gohan's emotional turmoil skyrocket, palpable rage that was clawing its way to the surface. His power was reverberating, and just when she bared her fangs in a snarl at Cell husking to her, "I wonder - where _did_ you hide all those wonderful Senzu Beans? Perhaps I should take advantage and search them out," something was flung over to clatter across the ground between them and Gohan.

Shocked, Gohan gaped down at the head of the Android as he spoke to him. "Gohan. Listen to me. You can let go. There are some foes that _cannot_ be reasoned with. You're allowed to fight on the side of justice. Seize upon your anger; wield it like a weapon. I understand your reluctance, but holding it in is pointless," Sixteen paused, seeing his words resonate in the young, scared fighter. Smiling, he added, "Unleash your power in order to protect the life that you cherish…drop your fear, and let your strength fight for what is just."

Sofia's eyes trembled with emotion as she listened to Sixteen, even as Cell scoffed and surprised her by suddenly punching her brutally in her ribs before tossing her to the side. The force of the punch robbed her of the air in her lungs, leaving her gasping and crying out in disarmed pain as Cell trekked over to the head – his distinctive metal-clinching-metal gait echoing around them as he sauntered. "Hah, that's sound advice – for an obsolete toaster oven. But I'd much prefer to tear the rage out of him—"

"I love everything I've encountered in this world: nature, and the animals. Please protect them, for me," Sixteen beseeched calmly, before Cell unceremoniously crushed his head underfoot. Bursting into a series of wires, chips and artificial fluid, Sixteen was no more – leaving Gohan to gape in tumultuous dismay before his inner power suddenly burst to life in a baleful power up.

Stunned, Sofia watched on from her prone position on the ground as the fighter reached the level of Super Saiyan 2, golden aura crackling with blue lighting and fluctuating the atmosphere tempestuously while his tears evaporated from his cheeks before they could trail down. Everyone else froze in battle to watch the awe-inspiring scene while Cell tensely admired the impressive power exuding from the boy.

The earth began to quake raucously as Gohan kept powering up, leaving Cell to glibly sneer, "Is that it?! This is what I've been waiting for?!"

The Cell Juniors resumed their campaign of brutality against the other fighters, which only served to fuel Gohan's rage more and more as he powered up and bellowed, "LEAVE THEM ALONE!"

The power of his rage literally blasted the atmosphere to destabilize and undulate with such violence that it blew the Z-TV crew and Mr. Satan away, ceasing the broadcast and leaving everyone – include Chi-Chi, who fainted in overwhelmed horror – staring at static.

"Well, finally!" Cell chuckled deviously. The Cell Juniors began to rally, giving the Z Fighters a moment to breathe, while the monstrous imps seemed to be taking a silent cue from their creator to converge in and around Gohan. Glaring nastily over at Sofia, Cell used an invisible force to propel her towards him, which she tried to fight by repelling it with her own telekinetic strength but found it to no avail when he suddenly appeared over her and kicked her hard enough to toss her onto her back yards away before he yanked her up to her feet by the back of her hair. "They're not pulverizing your weak friends, but you're on your own against my children," Cell taunted, pulling hard on Sofia's hair and forcing her to bend painfully backwards. "No Senzu Beans? No healing! Let's see what your power's made of, Gohan," he groused darkly before one bold Cell Junior decided to rush at the young Super Saiyan.

Bewildered, Vegeta watched on as Gohan eviscerated the monster with one blow. "What the hell?!" he gasped while Trunks gaped in awe.

Piccolo was panting and trying to heal with his depleted energy reserves while he gazed in amazement at Gohan. "Such power…"

Grinning lopsidedly, Goku watched on as Gohan made mincemeat of the Cell Juniors, who became fearful at his speed and deft, resolute rage as he executed the little monsters one by one, to Cell's unnerved chagrin.

'Piccolo…' Spinning to look at Sofia, it took him a furious second to rein in his impulse to rush to her when he saw her in Cell's clutches. 'Get Krillin. He can heal everyone while Cell is distracted by Gohan!'

'What?! I don't understand—!'

'Just trust me.'

Steeling himself, Piccolo rushed to get to Krillin, who was across the battered terrain from where Gohan was picking off the Cell Juniors. Reaching the former monk and helping him sit up, Piccolo shook him. "Krillin," he barked as he stirred the fighter back from the daze he was in. "Sofia said you can heal everyone?"

"Huh…? Oh—yeah!" the shorter fighter retrieved the pouch he'd stored the Senzu Beans – the one Sofia snatched and emptied out. "Check it out." Looking into the pouch, Piccolo was shocked to see there were enough magical beans for everyone. "She did that show deliberately to throw Cell off. Here," he offered the pouch to Piccolo. "Take 'em and help the other guys."

Floored by how astutely deceptive Sofia had been – using sleight of hand to make it seem like she'd taken all of the Senzus and hid them on her person when really she only pocketed the one she'd given Cell and the one she'd taken herself. "Take this. Leave the rest to me," Piccolo muttered, offering Krillin one before rushing off to aid the others.

While Gohan put the fear of death into the last Cell Junior, Sofia watched as Piccolo went about giving helping to the others. Gripping at the wrist of Cell's hand as his grasp twisted angrily into her hair, she winced, earning the villain's attention for a split second. "It's of no consequence, you know. As long as I have _you_ , Gohan won't be able to do a thing—" he'd began to sneer maliciously at her when she disarmed him by laughing.

"Hah—hahahahah!" she cackled maniacally, ignoring the pain lacing across her scalp when he yanked her hair, gripping the strands hard. "Look at you, Cell. I thought you _wanted_ to get Gohan fired up? Why're you needing to use me as collateral now?" she snickered imperiously as she craned her neck in a way to allow her the vantage point of glaring up at him. "Are you scared?"

Sputtering in rage, Cell's expression darkened as he snapped his wrist in such a way that she was spun to stand on her tippy toes again when he yanked her up by the back of her neck. Just when he opened his mouth to bellow at her, he sensed Gohan eviscerate his last little minion, as well as a peculiar fluctuation. Glaring about, he realized the other Z Fighters were recovered and looming at different points across the vast, razed terrain. Gawking, he saw Vegeta and Trunks powered up, then Goku, Piccolo, Tien, Yamcha and Krillin – just as Gohan phased in to stand across from him. "What?" he hissed; not understanding how they'd been able to recover.

Chuckling in a raspy tone, Sofia smiled condescendingly up at him. "I guess it's safe to tell you that you positively suck at frisking," she laughed. "Totally didn't account for it, but it's great you have no damn game, heh!"

Flummoxed, Cell replayed how she'd taken the Senzu Beans from Krillin, and realized she must've used sleight of hand to feign having pocketed the magical beans, when in reality she'd only taken the two he could account for: the one she'd tossed him, and the one she'd taken. "You—!"

"Let her go, Cell."

Glaring unnervingly across at Gohan, who was pulsating with enough energy to crackle the air, Cell balefully snarled, "And you're gonna make me, runt—Blaaaahg!" In an instant, Gohan was plowing his fist into Cell's abdomen, doubling him over so violently that the Android almost wretched as he dropped Sofia.

Stumbling, Sofia expected to hit the ground, but found herself being caught and whisked up and out of the fray, leaving Gohan and Cell to face off. When she stared up at Piccolo, the surprise was plainly displayed in her features as he'd carried her bridal style to agilely sprint off the battlegrounds to instead leap up and join Goku on the nearest battered plateau. Her heart did a summersault as he held her a little longer than intended, earning a goofy look from Goku before Piccolo tensely let Sofia down.

"Gohan's power is incredible," Piccolo exclaimed after a tense beat, gazing down as Cell struggled to grapple with his unnerved post-blow anxiety.

"I told you it was all gonna work out, didn't I, Piccolo?" Goku musingly remarked, earning a terse grunt from the Namekian warrior.

"Grrh, well – just look at you!" Cell sneered through clenched teeth, watching Gohan determinedly lope towards him in his powered up state. "Come on then!" he barked at Gohan.

Before their very eyes, Gohan rushed Cell and just as the Android threw a blow, Gohan's after image blew past him, leaving Cell to glare up at the sky. It was undeniable – his speed was now on par with his own. Irked, Cell flew up in a rush towards Gohan and too used the after image technique before their brawling became a rancorous tumult of blows that reverberated the atmosphere.

"It's amazing!" Sofia glanced over to see Trunks land on the same plateau as them. "Gohan's power is unlike anything I could've imagined. It's like he's not even winded in that powered up state!"

"Huh, now I get why you fought Cell first," Piccolo muttered to Goku as they all stared up at the battle in the sky. "You doing so gave Gohan the opportunity to study his opponent's moves before he had to face the bastard himself. I should've known you weren't being a complete moron."

Sofia elbowed him in the ribs admonishingly. "Ye of little faith!" she snickered as she kept her gaze up at the battle. Staring up and watching Gohan and Cell's blows literally collide fist against fist with such brutal force that the booming aftershocks were battering the ground below, she found herself reaching for Piccolo's hand, lacing her fingers with his as she murmured over their rapport, 'I don't want you to be mad, but I'm going to have to go back out there at a certain point.'

Expecting him to gruffly argue with her, Sofia was startled when he squeezed her hand reassuringly. 'It doesn't just have to be you. We'll all fight Cell—'

'That's the thing. I don't think that's going to do it. Gohan could get distracted worrying about the others,' she interjected gently. 'But I think I can help – I just need you to keep Goku away from the fray,' she mused, her resolve showing in her crimson eyes when they gazed up at him. Goku was too distracted by the battle occurring above the terrain to notice the twin stars strategizing, but Trunks saw their hands unclasp just before Sofia turned to address him. "Trunks, I need you to tell the others to get to a safe distance. Gohan's not going to be able to fight all-out if he's worried about others getting caught in the blowback," she remarked and gestured to where the Z-TV crew was lamely trying to scamper across the battle terrain to get to where their news van was on the other side of the gorge.

Just as the cameraman froze in terror and the reporter yelped into his damaged microphone, Gohan had appeared in a flash and taken them out of harms way at the very moment Cell had leveled a destructive blow that'd left a crater from the impact of his fist. Luckily Gohan dropped the crew at the outskirts of the grassy terrain adjacent to where they'd been trying to scamper across, leaving Cell to furiously glower at the impressive speed the Super Saiyan fighter now possessed.

Stunned by the sight, Trunks mused, "Uhhh, yeah, that makes sense, but I doubt Dad will listen—"

"That's fine. Super Saiyans get a pass," she quipped, crossing her arms before nudging Piccolo's side affectionately as she drawled, "And Super Namekians too. Everybody else should head out of the splash zone…"

"Right," Trunks remarked before flying off to warn the others it was best to get to a safer spot.

Grunting, Piccolo glanced down at her. "So then, what's the plan?"

Taking a sobering breath before closing her eyes and honing in her focus, Sofia took a beat before putting her arm around Goku suddenly – earning his iconic wide-eyed blink, as she pulled him in close in a goofily ominous way before she declared, "We keep Gohan ON task!"

* * *

Hercule was balking down from his perch, precariously hanging on for dear life as the sonic booms and turbulent air currents battered the terrain. The pain in the ass crew from Z-TV has absconded to try and get to their backup equipment, leaving the champ to gape at the overwhelming spectacle he was witnessing. "I can't believe I'm just relegated to standing on the sidelines like a wuss! This definitely ain't gonna be good for my image…" he grumbled lamely as he watched the spiky-haired blond kid match Cell blow for blow.

He wasn't the only one balking in awe at the turn of events.

Vegeta was grappling with a mix of consternation, outrage, awe and amazement at Kakarot's son besting them all in speed, strength and prowess. If he weren't so rapt in watching the battle, he probably would've been bewildered and irascible at finding himself yet again surpassed.

When a particular energy shockwave grazed across the terrain violently, kicking up wind and dust, he squinted his eyes to not miss a moment of the action. "If you've come to tell me to fallback, don't even waste your breath, Sofia."

Snickering, she placed her hand on his shoulder reassuringly. Having phased in to his right, she erected a psionic barrier that blocked out the wind and debris from blasting into their faces. Instead, the shockwave careened against and around the crimson energy shield. "Nah, I just wanted to get close to the action," she mused in an impish tone, winking at him when he glared at her.

"You're looking cocky for someone who took a beating," he sneered with a snarky edge.

"Shit, I can say the same to you," she snickered, crossing her arms while he grunted haughtily.

When Gohan avoided a precarious blow from Cell that resulted in leveling an entire rocky promontory behind him, they watched as Cell and Gohan now hovered down to land on the scrubbed and flattened terrain to properly square up against each other.

"You did well. Gohan's anticipating his every move," Piccolo muttered to Goku after joining the others among the rubble-cluttered terrain, just across from where Gohan was staring down Cell.

"No – I can't take any credit. That's all Gohan," the jovial fighter mused earnestly, impressed and proud of his son.

"He's totally awesome! His power is completely matching Cell's now," Krillin marveled while Tien and Yamcha incredulously agreed.

"Don't get cocky, boy. Even with luck on your side, the odds of beating me are hardly in your favor," Cell boasted, only to have the smirked wiped off of his face to become a snide look when Gohan unflinchingly retorted to him with a surprising taunt.

"Wrong. You're no match for me now."

Sofia got goosebumps at hearing her usually mild-mannered friend sound so resolute and biting. The others also balked at the taunt when it resulted in Cell snarling, "Hah, you conceited little brat! You think this is my true strength?! I'll show you the depth of my power – in all of its petrifying glory!"

When Cell ferociously powered up, the world literally shook under the pressure and the sky glowed from his seething aura as it eclipsed the sun in the sky. While the aura undulated like a violent ripple across the earth, the Z Fighters were beleaguered with their worries and trepidation at such a fearsome display.

"Jeez, is this guy _ever_ gonna hit his ceiling?! This is insane!" Yamcha shouted as he and the others braced against the shockwaves.

"It feels like he's gonna shake the Earth apart!" Krillin yelled out.

Trunks was astounded by what he was witnessing, only noticing absently that Sofia had extended her psionic shield to stretch across and block out the aftershocks from barreling towards the entire quadrant of the rubble-strewn field they were all on. It allowed them all to not grit or squint against the turbulence and now get a better look at Cell's massive power up just as it hit critical mass.

Staring ahead and seeing Cell gloatingly glare Gohan down, now completely at his perfected level of power, Sofia warred with uncertainty at the course of action she should take in attempting to alter the outcome, ever so slightly in their favor without risking losing Goku in the fallout. She had a plan, but she was second-guessing it now – questioning whether the risk was worth it. _Goku can't die today. I know it's a huge divergence, but creating a tangent in this timeline where he doesn't die here and can father Goten is crucial for what happens in the future. But…it also will impact that future if he doesn't spend the next seven years training in Otherworld. Shit – stop it! We'll cross that bridge later,_ Sofia admonished herself as she focused what she had to do.

Resolve honed, she waited for her moment.

* * *

Cell had grossly underestimated the untapped power that would emerge – and was now on full display – from pushing Gohan over the edge. When the boy had hammered him in the gut with his deft blows, Cell had actually felt his entire being shudder from the damage inflicted. Seeing the boy block his full-powered kicks without difficulty now was incensing him into a desperate, fuming outrage. One that only grew in ferocity when Gohan kicked him with devastating force across the face and caused Cell to raze the ground with his face before coming to a skidding halt. Pulling himself out of the trench his own body had created, Cell seethed irately as he bellowed, "I will NOT be humiliated by a child. Playtime is over!"

Sofia watched as Cell began to throw every attack in his stolen repertoire at Gohan. Destructo Disks, Special Beam Cannon, Rapid Fire – all of which Gohan deflected with little effort, Cell actually became unnerved. The look of fear crossed his face, and the irksome sensation infuriated the bioengineered Android enough to blast off high into the sky for his desperate ploy of attacking Gohan with a devastating Kamehameha. She couldn't hear the others shout and fret as the massive coalescing energy eclipsed the sky as it careened down on them. Her shield was no longer able to keep up with the violent atmospheric shockwaves caused by the energy as it descended closer, so she dropped it and focused solely on Gohan when he focused and unleashed his own counter Kamehameha wave. The energy raucously collided with Cell's and actually battered it backwards to propel upwards to pivot right back at Cell, who was fearfully hollering in dismay as he braced himself against his own attack. Gohan's blast actually eclipsed Cell's – seeming to cannibalize the energy and ballooning the wave to such a massive circumference that the Android would have no chance of avoiding the blast.

When the blast detonated in the stratosphere, the entire terrain revolted and burst across the landscape in rubble, dust and sand, burying the Z Fighters. As they struggled to pull themselves free of the wreckage, Gohan remained in his stance, glaring upwards at what remained of Cell. Balking up at the sky and seeing the bioengineered foe literally shredded into a battered version of his perfect self, Sofia heard the others marveling at the insanity and jeering in their collective dismay while she glanced across at Gohan. When she saw him smirk cockily up at Cell, she knew he was in the throes of a Super Saiyan egomania.

"HOW COULD ANYONE ON THIS MEASLY PLANET POSSESS SUCH POWER?!" Cell hollered, his bloodied stumped limbs twitching from the shock his damaged system was under.

"Dammit, why's he stalling?!" Piccolo shouted, startling the others when he added, "If he waits long, Cell will regenerate again!"

Floored by that, Goku shouted out to his son, "Gohan, remember why we're here! It's time to finish this."

"No way. I want to make him suffer for everything he's done just a bit longer," Gohan groused, completely resolute.

"Whoa, that is _not_ like him," Piccolo remarked, shocked.

"No! Gohan, you've got Cell backed into a corner – there's no telling what he'll do now. You must use your full power to stop him before it's too late!" Goku shouted vehemently at his son while the others watched on in stunned disbelief.

When Gohan only smirked more smugly, ignoring his father's beseeching tone, he suddenly hesitated when Sofia phased in to appear in front of him. The unwavering, resolute look was still on his features as she crossed her arms and sized him up as if she was about to admonish him. The others gaped, wondering what she would tell the boy in order to rein him in. Even Cell, who was trying to garner the energy he needed to regenerate his damaged and missing limbs, was staring in confounded bemusement down at them.

Shadow casting itself across him when the sun's rays shifted through the clouds, Sofia exhaled a cleansing breath as she suddenly dropped her arms to slap down against her sides. "Gohan," she murmured firmly. When his turquoise eyes focused intently on her crimson gaze, she continued. "I know you're high on your Super Saiyan supply, and everyone has been badgering you to tap into this power – pushing and pushing you into this overbearing, seething rage that you want to take out for a spin, but I need you to remember what matters," she stated and turned to point up at Cell. "He is not going to lay down and let you stomp his ass out of existence. If you let the sadistic glee take over your purpose now—"

"I know what I'm doing."

Pausing, she glanced sidelong at him. The sharp, dangerous look in his eyes sent a chill down her spine. However, she dropped her arm and gestured with a curt nod towards Goku. Seeing the signal, the Saiyan phased in next to Gohan. Dropping his hand reassuringly to his son's shoulder, Goku mused, "I know I've not been there for you enough, Gohan. You spent so much time just trying to keep up with me, and I've spent most of my time making reckless decisions based on the drive to get stronger and excel in battle, but this isn't something I want you to emulate. You are powerful, smart and braver than anything I could've imagined, but do not make the same mistakes I have, please."

Shocked, Gohan blinked up at his father. "Mistakes?"

Cell was confounded, not understanding the exchange, but deciding to take advantage of the distraction to focus his depleted reserves into regenerating. That was until Sofia suddenly phased up and plowed her heel to drive down brutally into his neck, swiftly propelling him to crater with destructive momentum to the ground below and across from Gohan and Goku. Stunned, Gohan tensed as he watched Sofia phase down and aim her palms down into the crater before firing off a flurry of energy blasts.

"You did not see what happened at the end of my battle with Frieza."

Startled, Gohan stared up at his father. "Dad…"

"Just listen to me. I got too cocky, and once I'd beaten him to the point of humiliation, I left him damaged and bloody – turned my back on him because I did not think he was worth fighting any more. I let the power go to my head…I don't want that to happen to you here and now. You are better than me, Gohan," the usually jovial fighter earnestly told his son, kneeling down to look him in the eyes as he added, "I am so proud of you. We all are. And now, it's time for you to surpass us all and take Cell out. Be a better man than all of us, Gohan."

Eyes gleaming in understanding, Gohan curtly nodded even while the emotion made a lump in his throat.

Sofia was concentrating all her energy in the waves of ki blasts she was firing off down at Cell, trying to stall his regeneration long enough for Gohan to get truly focused and end the battle. Suddenly, the ground underneath her revolted and exploded to send her flying into the sky. Shocked, the other Z Fighters watched just as Cell emerged from the cavernous trench, semi-regenerated but fuming rancorously. Using Instant Transmission, Goku appeared next to Sofia up in the air, grabbed her arm, and used his unique technique to wink them out of sight and to appear back next to the others, startling them. "I think Gohan's good now. Thanks for stalling things while I talked to him," the golden-haired fighter smirked at her.

Winded, Sofia nodded. "Don't worry about it," she mused and turned to focus on the scene ahead, where Cell was furiously powering up in order to muster the remaining energy push needed to completely regenerate himself before he went into a blind rage.

Powering up and allowing his frame to bulk up to increase his strength, the Android bellowed down at Gohan, "I AM PERFECTION! MY ULTIMATE FORM WILL NOT BE BESTED BY THE LIKES OF _YOU_!" Dropping down to the ground with a booming shake, Cell towered like a hulking monster over Gohan, who was back to glaring fearsomely at the Android as if he was a joke. "I'LL TEACH YOU TO CROSS ME—!"

Gohan suddenly leapt up and plowed his foot across Cell's face, driving the hulking villain across the terrain to waver in horror, face still contorted by the brutal blow. Before he could recover, Gohan flew at him and drove yet another kick with devastating force into Cell's solar plexus, causing him to skid backwards before he struggled to stay on his feet as his body lurched forward. The blow literally puffed him up and caused his battered system to rebel before suddenly regurgitating Android 18 up his throat to be repelled from his body. The unconscious blonde hit the ground, covered in his bio-bile, to Cell's horror and everyone else's astounded amazement.

"Holy shit—he puked up Eighteen!" Krillin shouted.

Stunned, Vegeta stared on as his son mused, "He'd swallowed her whole. That blow must've done enough damage to cause his system to expel her!"

"His power dropped like a stone," Goku remarked, floored.

"The bastard is done for now. He's no longer able to sustain that form," Piccolo stated, looking on with anticipation for Gohan to finish the monster off.

Sofia watched on, knowing the next few moments were critical. From the distance, Hercule was clinging to the surface of the boulder he was peering around, petrified by the insane display of power he'd witnessed since the kid started fighting Cell. "The boy's strength is remarkable!" Jumping, he whirled around to see that the reporter and cameraman had snuck back around and had clamored over the wrecked terrain for the perfect vantage point, which was of course where he was standing, to his chagrin.

Clearing his throat, Hercule huffed, "I thought you were getting to the backup equipment in your van?"

"That was the plan, but then we realized it'd be better to watch the action and report on it later," the cameraman stammered while the reporter tried to understand what was happening on the battlefield ahead. "Once the freaking ground stops quaking, I'll head over and get the mic and camera."

Grunting, Hercule wondered how he was going to spin things, but realized it was to his advantage that they were unable to film. His brooding was interrupted by the baleful shout and turbulent shockwaves that exploded from out in the battlefield to reverberate violently across to where they were spectating.

As Cell had devolved from his perfect form back to his semi-perfect form, the Android railed angrily at the humiliating defeat before Gohan beat him like a drum with a series of combos that slammed him to barrel roll backwards into a rocky hill. Peeling himself out of the crackled rock, Cell trembled with fear and rage as he gaped at Gohan and his scintillating aura. "N-noooo! This is impossible," he snarled, eyes darting widely about as he tried to think of a way to escape. Blasting out of the rubble to glide across the terrain, he was thwarted when Gohan appeared in his path and kicked him to bounce backwards and skid face-first into the ground. "D-Daaaaaammit!" Cell roared as he dragged himself out of the trench and balked back as Gohan began to rush forward towards him.

"Finish him, Gohan!" Piccolo growled while the others watched with baited breath.

"He's so close!" Goku grunted tersely, worried Gohan was still toying with the villain.

Sofia's hands were clenching and unclenching as she watched Gohan bash his fist across Cell's face and send him to spiral like a corkscrew across the battered ground. He wasn't cockily screwing with Cell anymore, but her anxiety was causing her heart to hammer worriedly against her chest the longer he went on thrashing the devolved Android.

"It's over, Cell," Gohan declared to the villain's back as he struggled to get to his feet. "This is the end!" When Cell turned and saw Gohan power up for a measured final attack, he tensed before sneering disdainfully at the mighty fighter.

"Noooooo! This isn't over until I decide it so!" the Android bellowed as he surprised everyone by turning towards their location and charging up a blistering attack he aimed at them – not Gohan. "FINAL FLAAAAAAAAAASH!"

Sofia bristled in horror as the attack barreled towards them. "MOVE!" she shouted as she turned to see the others frozen in shock while the energy rushed across the terrain. _This isn't supposed to happen!_

Suddenly, Gohan appeared in front of the energy's path and repelled it with a baleful shout and counter blast that he used to volley the energy to pivot straight up into the sky, where it detonated violently when it reached the stratosphere. The blowback flung undulating shockwaves down on them and pressed them down to crouch against the pressure of the wind force. Gritting against the pulsing aftermath, Sofia stared ahead and saw Gohan was completely unscathed, but looked past him to see Cell powering up. She sensed his ki skyrocketing, and realized exactly what he was doing. Rushing forward, she used all her agility to traverse the terrain, pushing against the rippling resistance the power up was slamming across the landscape as she reached Gohan's side and shouted, "He's going to blow himself up! You have to destroy him NOW!"

Shocked, everyone recovered and balked in terror at what they'd heard as Gohan's expression contorted in horror at Sofia's warning.

"You're TOO LATE!" Cell bellowed, digging deep and conjuring the destructive energy needed to begin his self-detonation. "I will NOT lose to such as you! I'm taking this whole planet and everyone on it down with me!"

"N-nooo!" Gohan shouted as he tried to rush forward and destroy Cell with an energy attack he began to charge, but Sofia appeared in front of him and stopped his advance. Shocked, he stared wide-eyed at her as he watched Cell begin to balloon larger and larger across from them, beginning to resemble a giant maniacal parade float as his body puffed to gigantic proportions while he roared with his power up.

"You can't now," Sofia tensely shouted. Turning, she faced Cell as she realized with stupefying horror there was no way to stop him now.

"Muahahahaha! In less than a minute, you'll all be history!" Cell diabolically cackled.

The others were gaping with disarmed horror at the scene, until Piccolo saw Gohan fall to his knees in self-loathing defeat. "Oh no!"

'Piccolo. Keep Goku there.'

Staring ahead at Sofia, he saw as she marched towards Cell, hands beginning to glow at her sides as she charged up some sort of psionic energy. "Sofia!" he shouted, running forward but stopping himself when he realized this must be the moment where Goku steps in and dies. _He must sacrifice himself to take out Cell!_ Gulping, he whirled around and rushed to Goku. "No matter what happens, you can't interfere now!" he ordered to the Super Saiyan, confounding the man as they turned to stare back at Cell.

"Hah! You can't stop me, girl," Cell guffawed snidely at Sofia when she approached, glowing crimson along her frame while her hands began to pulsate like a heartbeat with a scintillating aura.

"You're right. I can't stop you from popping, but I'll contain the destructive blast, you bloated bitch!" she powered up and thrust her arms forth, initiating a psionic force field that enveloped around Cell's giant form and solidified into a crimson ki sphere. As soon as she did, the pulsating reverberations of his power began to press against the field, causing her to concentrate on keeping the sphere perfectly sealed and tight so it wouldn't rupture like a bubble.

Staring in awe, Gohan watched Sofia brace herself against the tumultuous power that was battering her telekinetic control, which physically stressed her body as the force warred with her psionic ability.

"Even if she can contain the explosion, the strain to her body will kill her! She can't absorb that kind of energy," Goku shouted, causing Vegeta to balk while Trunks and the others dismayed that something had to be done to help her.

Gritting her teeth, Sofia gasped and yelped against the stress of a powerful reverberation that threatened to cave her shield out, but she bore against it and dug deep to use total concentration breathing at a constant level to keep fueling her telekinetic energy. The strain of combining all her energy into a telekinetic force began to cause internal trauma to her body. Her eyes began to tremble as her vision started graying out at the edges while a nosebleed trickled to drip down her chin. _Dammit! This power is going to pull me apart…I have to absorb the blast energy into myself—try to redirect it as my own attack out to space!_

Piccolo watched and sensed Sofia's psychic pain as she warred to contain the energy, but Cell was only ballooning larger and larger, straining the confines of the psionic sphere she'd erected.

"She's doing this to stop me, isn't she?"

Startled, Piccolo looked at Goku. He saw the focus in his turquoise gaze, and knew there was no point in lying. "Yes, and…we have to let her do this. It's important—"

"There's no way she can absorb that power. It will sear out of her and she won't be able to reduce its destructive force," Goku reasoned with Piccolo, shocking him when he added in a whisper, "I can't let you stand here and watch her die."

Flummoxed, Piccolo stared wide-eyed at him.

Sofia roared as she dug deeper to breathe in a hungry inhalation to fuel her screaming circulatory system as Cell bellowed, "Twenty seconds left! Kiss this measly planet goodbye, hahahahahah—huh?!"

Her blurred vision registered the movement of someone phasing in front of her and Cell – or actually within the sphere she was keeping Cell's gigantic form sealed in. It took her delirious mind a moment to register it was Goku, but when he turned to smile reassuringly at her as he placed his palm on Cell's expanded trunk, her mind snapped into clarity as she shouted, "GOKU, NO—DON'T DO THIS!"

Gohan balked in confused horror at his father when he gazed over at him. "I'm really proud of you, son," Goku remarked in a cool, peaceful tone. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you take on my burden too, so, it's time for me to step in," Goku addressed Sofia before raising his fore and middle finger up to his forehead before declaring, "Goodbye."

In an instant, Goku and Cell were gone, leaving the sphere to pop and expel all the turbulent energy to reverberate across the battered terrain. Staring in horror at where her friend had just been standing, Sofia let go of her telekinetic force and felt the strain immediately wallop her and snap back, causing her to shudder to her knees. Eyes welling with tears, she began to sob as her mind sensed Goku's life force disappear once his ki signature was extinguished by Cell's explosion on King Kai's planet. Everyone sensed the loss and grieved in their own way – Goku's older friends were truly bereaved while Vegeta silently stewed and Trunks forlornly looked across the terrain when Gohan shouted in devastated sorrow.

"Why Daaaaaaaaad!?" the young fighter wailed as he slammed his fists into the ground, leaving cracks where his fists pounded as he wept opening.

Piccolo watched on, devastated for his young friend and sorrowful for Sofia. She managed to grapple with her emotion and labored over to go to Gohan, trudging laboriously through the rubble to fall at her knees in front of him. Wiping the back of her hand across her face to clear the blood from her features, she grabbed Gohan and let him sob in her arms. Weeping quietly, she held him protectively as she whispered, "I'm so sorry…"

"N-no! Don't say that to me," Gohan sobbed angrily, staring up at her with tears streaming down from his turquoise eyes as he yelled, "This is my fault! I should've taken Cell out when I had the chance!"

Heart hurting, Sofia couldn't hold back her sorrow now, and when Gohan saw the devastated look in her gleaming crimson eyes, he paused as she began to weep with a trembling breath before the floodgates opened and she buried her face in her hands, beginning to sob uncontrollably.

Piccolo felt lost as to how to console the two most important people to him. 'Let them grieve,' Kami murmured.

When Sofia hurriedly wiped at her eyes and bit back her tears, sighing angrily at herself, she was surprised when Gohan wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight. Disarmed for an instant, she returned the hug with desperate need, crying now that this sweet, powerful and brave boy was consoling her in his own time of grief.

"W-well, I'm not quite sure what happened, but Cell is gone, and so is the golden-haired fighter. Could this mean the battle is over?" The reporter inquired dubiously from around the boulder he was still huddled behind. Mr. Satan just kept balking at the battlefield, unnerved and unsure of how to describe what had happened, while the cameraman lamely attempted to get his device working again, to no avail.

Meanwhile, Krillin frowned when he saw how devastated and upset the two fighters were. "You guys did a good job," he consoled after he approached them. "Goku did what he thought he needed to because he loves you, Gohan," the former monk addressed the boy as he rubbed his back soothingly, before placing his hand reassuringly on Sofia's shoulder and musing, "And he knew why you wanted to prevent him from doing it, but there are just some things Goku's gotta do, you know?"

Blinking away her tears, she murmured, "I don't understand why it still had to happen…it's not fair, Krillin."

"I guess not everything can be changed. Maybe some things are destined to happen, no matter what," he remarked consolingly.

Gritting her jaw, she shook her head, trying to clear her mind of the grief that was clouding her judgment. "I can't accept that…" she whispered while Krillin helped Gohan stand. Staring across at the others, she focused on Trunks. Her heart felt too aggrieved by losing Goku under the diverged circumstances, and the thought of Trunks having the same fate suddenly compelled her to war vigorously against that outcome. Standing strenuously, she winced as her head swam and body shuddered in protest. Before she wavered, Piccolo appeared, catching her and propping her to lean against his side. While Krillin retrieved the unconscious Android 18 and argued with Vegeta about helping her rather than destroying her, Sofia fixated on the fact that any moment, Cell would reappear. "Piccolo—"

"I know you're upset. I tried to stop him, but—" he began, thinking she was going to unload on him, when she glared up at him suddenly.

"This isn't over. That explosion wasn't enough to stop him. He's going to come back any minute," Sofia explained, undeterred in her new quest. "We can't just stand here—"

"Wait, what're you saying?! That blast should've eviscerated Cell as well," Piccolo stammered, unnerved when Sofia shook her head, earning the attention of the others as she fortified herself to stalk towards them.

"Listen to me! We don't have much time," she shouted, causing everyone to freeze at the deathly serious look and the angry shift in her body language. "Cell is going to reappear in his perfect form and get the jump on us—!"

"What?! Are you kidding?" Yamcha yelped.

"How is that possible?!" Tien tensely remarked.

"There's no way he survived that blast while Kakarot perished," Vegeta argued, completely floored and petrified by the prospect.

Gohan just gaped as they all incredulously questioned her. When she sensed his trepidation and saw the fear in his eyes, Sofia lost her patience and shouted to the others, "Goddammit, listen to me! I am NOT going to stand here and lie – he's going to be here and we need to fight him." She glanced at Gohan purposefully and mused, "You aren't done, and we'll be here to back you up—"

A sudden shift in the atmosphere blasted across the terrain as if air was suctioned and released to turbulently reverberate just yards away from where they were standing. Dust kicked up and obscured the epicenter of the source responsible for the atmospheric shift while static filled the air and lighting seemed to crackle about, creating the smell of ozone. While everyone froze in horror at the sudden arrival, Sofia took in a long, deep inhalation of breath, concentrating all of her chaotic thoughts and focusing on the tactic she was coming up with on the fly.

When a blue glow blasted forth from the crackling aura obscured by the dust and swirl, everyone instantly sensed the ki signature responsible and were overtaken by the sinking sense of doom.

"Dammit, it's really him," Piccolo gasped, unaware of the dark cloud coming over Sofia's psyche.

Her eyes were glowing a dark red as they focused through the haze caused by the dust storm from his power up. When she made out the outline of Cell extending his right hand up to blast a deadly attack aimed in their direction, Sofia allowed her total concentration breathing to heighten her senses and focused all her telekinetic force into the center of her body just as she saw Cell charge up and fire the golden beam.

With a feral shout, she willed the telekinetic force she'd harnessed to blast outwards like an electromagnetic pulse. The psionic wave undulated outwards, spherically pushing everything in its range to be propelled away – which resulted in blowing all the Z Fighters out of Cell's fire zone and up to the sky just as the death beam coursed across the distance and careened towards Sofia, who was the only fighter left in it's strike zone. Taking in another rapid breath, she wrapped her left arm in a psionic armor to brace her limb in order to deflect the energy beam. Yelling balefully as she punched the energy, she threw all of her will and power into it, and miraculously volleyed the energy stream to pivot backwards from whence it came. Cell dodged it effortlessly as it careened past him and detonated against a far-flung promontory and exploded raucously in the distance, shaking the earth and raining debris across the sky.

Astounded, the Z Fighters were floating across different quadrants of the sky and gaping down at Sofia's Hail Mary tactic. Snickering, Cell narrowed his gaze at her as she stood panting from the effort before she winced and fell to one knee. When she exhaled, steam came out of her mouth like a molten vapor, causing her to double over in pain as her circulatory system overheated and threatened to collapse completely.

"Holy hell, who was meant to take that attack?!" Yamcha stammered as Krillin balked down while he held the unconscious Android 18 in his arms.

"What the hell is going on?!" Vegeta snarled, not understanding why she would use an attack to fling them away.

"She is trying to change the course of the battle still," Piccolo exclaimed tensely, remembering what she'd told him when they'd left the Lookout. _*'—there's a lot that will be devastating for all of us to deal with. I-I'm going to have a hard time with it, Piccolo…'*_

'Piccolo, that blast was meant to kill someone. There's no other reason Sofia would've intervened and placed herself in harm's way like that!' Nail shouted, and an icy feeling filled Piccolo then as he looked around and realized one of them was meant to die.

Gohan was shocked, staring down at Sofia as she began to cough uncontrollably. When Cell just chuckled, standing in his powered up state across from her, his rage began to seethe again. Phasing down, he appeared next to Sofia. Leaning down to help her up, he was bewildered to see her pull her hand away from her mouth and see her palm coated with blood. "Oh no! Sofia, you're hurt. You don't have to do this—!" he fretted and was about to tell her to stand down, but she pulled away from him, forcing herself to stand.

"Aw, what an admirable attempt to once again screw with my plans," Cell chuckled smugly, the lighting crackling across his golden aura while it flared about his frame. When Piccolo, Trunks, Vegeta landed to flank her and Gohan while Tien, Yamcha and Krillin fell back to stay out of the fray, Cell scoffed haughtily. "What? You think there's anything left for you to do here, when the mighty Goku was no match for me?! Hah!" he boasted, seeing the varied looks of disdain cross their features. "That's right. Goku's _gone_ and I remain! I am true perfection, down to every single cell. Nothing can destroy me – hell, blowing myself up is the best move I've made! There's nothing that can stop me—"

"Why're you talking like a complete douchebag?" Sofia shot, hands clenched at her sides as she forced her body to muster the flow of ki required to keep her muscles primed for a speedy assault. Her lungs were still aching, so she needed to rely on her healing factor to mend the damage she'd done before she could use total concentration breathing again. Watching Cell's expression shutter in and darken brought her a sick satisfaction. She smirked when she added aloofly, "Spare us the exposition, Cell. You didn't even know you'd regenerate after that explosion. Bully for your fucked biogenetics, but it doesn't change the fact that you were too scared to fight Gohan, so you took yourself out like the coward you truly are."

"Holy shit," Krillin wheezed at hearing her taunts while the Saiyans around her tensed or flinched in bemusement.

Piccolo was sweating at the risky tactic. He knew what she was trying to do, and it was petrifying him that she felt it necessary to goad the bastard.

" _You_ conniving little bitch!" Cell spat before powering up, his snotty, pompous tone gone as he growled, "All you've been is a thorn in my goddamned side, and you have the audacity to mock me after you couldn't hack it against me either?! Goku had to jump in like a sap and clean up both of your failed attempts! You and these moronic Saiyans are all _pathetic_ weaklings who don't know to bow down to perfection when it's dominating you so effortlessly!"

Gohan was glaring ahead at the villainous tantrum while his rage boiled over and gloriously ignited outward again in his power up. Smirking, Sofia had stalled long enough to mend enough of her depleted reserves and heal her strained circulatory system to allow her to power up as well, inspiring Vegeta and Trunks to do the same and Piccolo to marvel at that; ploy worked like a charm. When in doubt, the Saiyans would push through any power ceiling if properly motivated to rely on their rage. She clearly related to the power achievement gained by digging deep and tapping at a deep-seeded fury, and she knew it was better than standing scared or hopeless right now.

Sneering at seeing their ranks powered up across from him, Cell barked, "Give it up! You're all measly challengers to my superior power—!"

"If that's true, why are you so bothered?" Gohan groused, his expression pitiless as he glared at Cell. "I'll make you pay for what you've done. My father's sacrifice will not be in vain."

Suddenly phasing across the terrain, Gohan hammered his fist for a bruising punch that Cell blocked with his forearm before countering with his own blow that the young fighter blocked as well. Just as the two got into a blow-block rhythm, Cell was suddenly throttled by a kick across his jaw that caused him to spiral up in the air before he snarled and skidded in his mid-air ascent. Glowering, he saw Sofia standing next to Gohan, smugly giving him that damnable smirk he'd vowed to wipe off her face. Before he could plan his retaliation, however, a barrage of ki spheres blasted him from his flanks, which distracted him long enough for Sofia and Gohan to rush up to the sky and tag team him in hand-to-hand combat. Vegeta and Trunks had timed their ki blasts and were now charging up dual Galick Guns while Cell fended off the offense.

Staring up in mystified wonder, Piccolo couldn't help marvel at the amazing prowess his once-pupils were exhibiting against the monstrous Android. "We might be able to win this—!"

Cell instantly blitzed Gohan and Sofia by blasting an energy field outward from his core, propelling them violently backwards to spin in the air before freefalling in a daze. Vegeta and Trunks fired their attacks wildly at the bioengineered villain, but only succeeded in slowing their opportunity to dodge Cell's counterattack. Pounding his fist against Trunks' face, he careened him to slam into Vegeta. The momentum volleyed them both to the ground below while Sofia and Gohan recovered in mid-air before crashing down themselves. Powering up, Sofia yelled balefully as she dug deep and let her rage fuel her aching body. Her aura flared like seething fire around her as her eyes were completely obscured by the glowing garnet energy pulsing from them now. Cell actually took pause after deflecting Gohan's attack to stare at her before he recoiled when she was suddenly in front of him. He snarled and threw a punch, but Sofia dodged it by pivoting her body and catching his arm. Now in her deft grip, she used his own intended blow's momentum to spin him wildly about until she suddenly yanked them both towards the ground at a breakneck force. Just before they would collide with the earth, she pivoted again, spinning over his head and plowing her heels into the back of his shoulders in order to spike him into the ground.

The quake shuddered across the terrain, sending Mr. Satan and the Z-TV crew to grapple for purchase. "The one-on-one format of the battle has been suspended for real now, folks! The majority of the fighters have rallied to take on Cell in a melee-style offense. The devastating force of the combat is literally shaking the ground beneath us—"

"Boss, the mic doesn't work. No one can hear you," the cameraman deadpanned to the reporter, who forlornly froze and glared down at the microphone before angrily spiking it to the ground.

"Considering the absolute insanity goin' on out there, it's probably for the best. Even I, the world champion, is having a hard time following—" Hercule mused absently before the reporter cleared his throat, causing him to pause and blink down at the man. "What? Got somethin' on my face?"

"No, I just realized we're probably going to die, and the last thing I want to do is continue the charade, Mr. Satan," the harried man woefully grumbled.

"Hey! I can't help it that they planted landmines and magnets and all sorts of dirty tricks out there," he groused. "As soon as they quit it with the special effects, I can go out there and clean up—"

A sudden, deafening boom erupted before the ground violently roiled once again, and all three men turned to see what had occurred, only to see a truly, horrifying scene play out across the vast distance.

To be continued…


	15. Transcendent Reverberation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another action-packed chapter, with violence, grief and angst, but the latter half hopefully has a nice dose of humor, hope, and yes - smutty fun.

"Speech" 'Telepathy' _Thought_ _*Reminiscing*_

Having leapt up to the air before Cell impacted the ground, Sofia took the opportunity to charge up her most formidable energy attack. As soon as Piccolo saw her raise her left arm above her head and gesture with her palm pointed up, he recognized the move. It was an attack he'd rarely seen her use, but the first time he'd seen it was when she'd leveled it against him during their tumultuous fight back in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber years before.

As Cell struggled to yank himself free – his body buried from his head to his shoulders in the crater while his legs kicked about furiously for purchase, Sofia shouted her power up and materialized a coalescing sphere of crimson energy above her head. The crackly, scintillating energy swirled incandescently before she flung it forcefully down on Cell just as he freed himself from the ground to gape wide-eyed at the enormous sphere that slammed down on him. The attack detonated and blasted air and debris wildly while a crimson glow radiated around the landscape. Vegeta and Trunks landed on a plateau that overlooked the massive crater her attack had just expanded while Gohan and she remained floating in different quadrants of the sky above, surveying the ground for any sign of Cell.

"That attack was amazing," Trunks marveled.

"Stow the praise, boy! You can still sense that bastard's power level. It only slowed him down," Vegeta groused, glancing across to where the others were congregating.

Piccolo was the first to realize something was wrong when he sensed Cell's ki signature become masked for agonizing moments before it materialized just above the sky. "SOFIA! LOOK OUT—!" he shouted up at his twin star when he sensed Cell appear in the haze that was clouding the atmosphere above the crater, just behind Sofia, who spun too late to see him furiously pulling his arms back and above his head before he laced his fists together and bashed them down across her face.

Shouting in shock, Trunks and Vegeta watched as her head snapped back brutally before her whole body tensed and flinched from the savage blow that propelled her violently backwards.

Gohan yelled in aghast horror as the blow's violent momentum flung her towards the ground – hitting a sparsely vegetated mountain and drilling through the solid rock to blast out through the base and raze a trench before the mountain collapsed in boulders and jagged rubble around her. Cell's blow had been so powerful that it'd temporarily dulled her senses, allowing her not to instantly feel the agony of hitting the mountain, but the sensation of being compressed in a tumble cycle of rock and pain left her bloodied and gashed. Hair strewn about as it fell free across her face, she numbly flinched as she regained consciousness and cried out in anguish, ears filled with only the sound of a piercing ringing and vision greyed out at the edges, leaving her disoriented as she pulled herself free. Wincing at the lancing pain that shot across her side from the broken ribs, she didn't see, hear or sense Cell charging up a lethal attack, or Piccolo shouting as he tried to rush towards her, or Vegeta blasting off after Trunks, who'd barreled at full speed towards the site of her crash landing. Wavering on her feet, she felt something hot run down her face, and in detached shock, realized it was blood pouring out of a gash along her hairline that was dripping into her eye. It wasn't until she shook off her disorientation that her mind was screaming at the sensing of a massive power up. Turning, she saw Cell floating across from her high in the sky, with his index finger pointed directly at her.

Unable to muster the understanding of what was happening, she watched – almost as if in slow motion – as he bellowed, "I've decided it's time for you to die, once and for all!" His index finger glowed with the charged Death Beam before the lethal energy stream fired.

Piccolo and Gohan shouted in horror as they watched the beam careen down in a direct path to pierce her heart. Just as Sofia realized she was sure to die, she was suddenly shoved brusquely out of the way of the beam with enough momentum that it hurled her down to skid across the rubble-strewn ground.

Everyone froze in shock and watched as Trunks had pushed Sofia out of the way of the Death Beam to instead end up in the attack's path. The beam blasted through his chest armor and seared through him before shooting out his back as it continued its path and blew up a rock formation in the distance. Turning to balk up in horror, Sofia's eyes went wide at seeing Trunks blasted backwards before he crashed down and hacked up dark blood across the ground.

"N— _NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_ " Sofia wailed in dismayed horror as she clamored to her feet and stumbled to reach Trunks' side.

From the air, Vegeta froze in devastated and stunned shock at seeing his son mortally wounded. _Trunks, my son—! How?! How…could I've let this happen?!_ Vegeta grappled with his grief-stricken thoughts as his vision wavered at the fury that boiled over within him when the realization that his son had suffered and sacrificed everything overwhelmed him. _Cell's destroyed everything that matters! I won't let this stand—he will pay for killing my son!_

Piccolo stopped in his tracks at having witnessed the fighter selflessly save Sofia while Gohan gaped in horror-struck bewilderment. The atmosphere was cloudy and choked with dust, obscuring everyone from the chaotic haze. When Sofia got to Trunks, she stared down at his wound, and saw it'd just missed his heart, but the gaping wound was causing his lungs to collapse and blood to fill his mouth as his wide-eyed blue gaze stared with unfocused pupils. The trauma from the Death Beam had instantly powered him out of Super Saiyan mode, blazing cerulean irises trembling against the agony lancing his system. Lavender hair strewn wildly about, Trunks was struggling to breathe as he shuddered and his limbs twitched against the devastation seizing his body.

"Well—how fortuitous! I'd intended to slay Trunks when I'd arrived, and she'd thwarted the attack, only to have him step in and take the same attack for her," Cell snickered before brashly laughing, "Even my perfection is destined to get its way regardless, hahahahah!"

"Damn you—!" Gohan had begun to rail when Vegeta suddenly snapped out of his stupefied grief – triggered by Cell's distasteful disparaging of his son – to balefully shout and power up furiously.

"Y-You're going to pay…for what you did to Trunks…CELL! YOU'RE DEAD!" Vegeta roared, incensed and exploding outward with a level of fury no one had been expecting as he rushed towards the bioengineered Android and set him in his sights – unleashing a barrage of scorching ki attacks that he leveled so fiercely, it forced the others to get out of the way and brace against the dustup and atmospheric chaos the explosions were creating.

While the battlefield shook violently and shuddered around her, Sofia struggled to come to terms with the horror that once again, no matter how hard she'd tried to change the outcome, destiny thwarted her attempt at saving another friend. "Oh god—no-no-no-no-no!" she exclaimed, her pleas becoming more and more frenetic as she slipped one hand under Trunks, pressing her palms over his entrance and exit wound to try and stave off the bleeding. "This can't be happening! Please-please-please, stop this!" she cried out desperately as devastated tears streamed freely from her wide, frightened crimson eyes, seeping across her scrapes and stinging before numbing over. "Trunks, please don't—don't—!" she hiccupped as she heard his lungs gurgling laboriously. When his blue eyes finally focused on her, she was shocked when his hand limply reached up and grabbed the back of hers, pressed against his chest.

"—S-s-sorry…" she heard him wheeze before coughing up more blood. "I—couldn't…let you take…that attack again—nnnngth," he struggled to rasp.

Realizing he was referring to the battle when Cell had first achieved perfection, Sofia's gasp caught in her throat, untangling the lump of grief there as she began to openly weep. "Noooo!" she cried. "Please…Trunks—!"

"No…re…grets…" the mortally wounded fighter sighed out as he smiled at her, just before his eyes softened and the life slowly went out of them. His hand fell to his side as his body went slack, leaving Sofia to gape in shattered sorrow as she sensed his ki signature dim before going out like a flame.

Staring down at his countenance in horrified disbelief, she trembled as her tears poured down her face to drip from her chin and patter on his chest plate. _No—no-no-no-NO-NOO-NOOOOOOO!_

"Oh my god…Trunks is dead," Krillin gasped from the vantage point on the battlefield he, Tien and Yamcha were at.

Piccolo and Gohan were helplessly watching Vegeta throw everything he had at Cell, the sheer force quaking the world around them. They didn't see the darkness begin to fall over like a shroud where she was kneeling.

Staring in wide-eyed, traumatized horror, Sofia's gaze wavered as she looked from his pale countenance down at her hands, which were covered in Trunks' blood. Shuddering and hyperventilating at the sight, she began to lose all sense as the voices in her mind arose to crescendo into a cacophony of furious, chaotic whispers that grew louder and louder. Literally seeing his blood on her hands triggered something to snap deep within her psyche, gnawing free as her pulse raced in her ears and her eyes widened at the devastating reality that she was powerless to save Goku, and was the reason Trunks had sacrificed himself.

… _We will avenge them with blood!_

Just as Cell had emerged from the ki blast ground zero of Vegeta's relentless attacks to bash the Saiyan brutally with a kick that barreled him into the ground with destructive force, the bioengineered Android was looming in the sky above, surveying his havoc before boastingly goading, "Like I said before: It's over when I say it's over. And, it's over now—" he cut himself off when he registered the feral roar he heard just behind him and felt the entire atmosphere shift with a dangerous charge of malevolent energy.

Piccolo and the others looked on in disconcerted shock when Sofia threw her head back and screamed a furious bellow that seemed to thunder across the landscape as some sort of power erupted from her body. In an instant, she was in the sky, enveloped in a vermilion and russet pulsing psionic force that boiled outward like a vaporous, fiery charge. It took a shape around her like that of some sort of preternatural creature, with her as the host at it's center, mimicking her roar of acrimonious fury as her eyes beamed solid garnet and her fangs were bared at Cell, who spun to balk at her with perturbed incredulity etched in his features when she rushed towards him, hands like ferocious claws as the aura that had taken form around her extended like a preternatural paw of energy and crushed the Android in it's teeming grasp.

"W-w-whaaaat?! What-are-you?!" Cell bellowed in fear as the energy channeling around her took more and more shape, resembling some kind of hellish tiger-like creature that roared threw Sofia as she suddenly appeared in front of him and thrashed him with a furious series of blows that were battering his body. The brute force of her attacks were actually denting his armored body and contorting Cell as she savaged him with unrelenting violence.

Gohan dropped from the sky to land next to Vegeta's unconscious body in order to stare in floored, astounded disbelief at Sofia. "What's happened to her?!" he gasped, not recognizing his friend as she unleashed vicious retribution on Cell.

" _...YOU WILL PAY!_ " the furious, ravenous voice echoed as many as it roared at Cell, irking him as the malevolence shown in her rage-filled features while she slashed her hand down across his shoulder—diagonal down his torso, succeeding in tearing his dense flesh asunder and exposing the writhing gray matter beneath. Wailing in terrified horror, Cell actually stared in terror at the menacing creature she'd become as it roared and began to berserk blitz him with a series of attacks that seemed intent on tearing him apart piece by piece.

"Holy fuck—what is happening right now?!" Yamcha exclaimed after he and Tien rushed to collect Trunks' body and get the fallen fighter out of the dangerous fray.

"She has lost herself to whatever power was buried deep. Trunks dying must've triggered it to burst free," Tien shouted tensely, all three eyes balking up at the sky.

"P-pleaa _aahse_!" Cell stammered in between blows as Sofia's berserk transformation only grew more and more bloodthirsty. "PLEASE STOOOOOOP!" he bellowed fearfully just as the aura flared and bristled with malevolent tendrils that she spiked to drill into his limbs before yanking them taut. He was a pulsing, purple-bloodied mess now and the onslaught was not allowing him to regenerate. "I-I-I'm sorry, just stop—!"

A dangerous, rasping growl hissed out of her as the total concentration breathing caused vapor to steam from her nose and mouth before forming words. "… _You wanted to reap the benefits of seeing our power…_ " the voice sadistically seethed, shocking Cell to gape and tremble at the recall. He'd told Sofia that days before, and now here it was. He'd pushed her into losing control, but this berserk, malevolent force was only interested in destroying him with furious reckoning.

Piccolo was shocked to see the powerful force that resided in Sofia, and was actually afraid of what would happen if it continued to run amuck. 'Sofia!' he shouted telepathically, but could sense the turbulence in her psyche. 'Don't lose yourself! You're letting this power control you!'

His pleading words were echoing across to her, but the whispers were obscuring his words, leaving only their rapacious seething. Digging her fingers into Cell's chest plate with sadistic malevolence, she began to peel the dense meat back, grinning when the Android bellowed in agony.

… _Don't listen—He must SUFFER!—Finish him—No, devour his power and THEN destroy him—_ The voices warred to be heard, leaving her to continue torturing Cell by plunging her hand into his chest and grabbing hold of tendons before yanking, tearing wails of excruciation from the wide-eyed, grimacing Android. It wasn't until she heard Piccolo's echo finally break through that her eyes narrowed in comprehension.

'—Don't lose yourself to it, Sofia. I can't lose you—!'

Snapping back, she resisted the furious force and warred with regaining her sense. Blasting Cell backwards with a psionic blow, she yanked the tendrils of her seething aura back, causing them to thrash about as she laced her hands in her hair and bit back the roar that threatened to overtake her.

… _DON'T LISTEN!—Destroy him—NO-NO-NO, DON'T FIGHT OUR POWER—WE ARE YOU!—Our hunger cannot be abated. You owe us release—TAKE THIS POWER AND DEVOUR THE WORLD!_

The final voice eclipsed the others, and the wickedness with which it railed was enough to snap Sofia to awaken and scream with every fiber of her soul as she blasted the berserk energy outward.

Everyone hit the deck as the force detonated like a psionic electromagnetic pulse, razing the sky in shades of red contrails before the atmosphere stabilized and they could see Sofia seize before falling backwards, plummeting from the sky towards the ground.

Before she could crash violently to the earth, Piccolo rushed across the distance and slid under her, breaking her fall. Landing on his back with Sofia strewn on top of him, Piccolo clutched her protectively against his chest, exhaling in relief when he sensed her psyche was no longer clouded with the malicious force that had overtaken her.

"What the fuck was that?!"

Gohan flinched and glanced down at Vegeta, who'd regained consciousness to witness the latter end of Sofia's berserker blitz on Cell before she'd repelled the foe and lost it.

"That was insane!" Krillin shouted, eyes wide as he watched Piccolo cradle Sofia in his arms as he tried to wake her. "I've never seen anything like that before."

"Whatever it was, it seems she was able to reel it in. It was formidable," Tien remarked while he and Yamcha stayed in their huddled stances, having been protecting Trunks' body against the undulating turbulence all of the attacks and power ups had caused.

Stirring slightly, Sofia winced as she tried to sit up. "Don't move. That took a lot out of your system," she heard Piccolo's voice. She blinked, eyes watering as she peered up through heavy lids up at his worried face. Before she knew it, the grief and horror flooded her again. Her eyes brimmed over with tears as she clamored to sit up and embrace Piccolo desperately, weeping against him as she lost herself to the remorse and devastation of everything. He held her, consoling her as she wept uncontrollably. "It's alright, Sofia. You're here with me now," he murmured against her hair as he squeezed her reassuringly.

Gohan watched them from the distance, feeling her devastated psyche empathically stir the hurt he'd been submerging to bubble up now.

Suddenly, the atmosphere above the terrain exploded with swirling, turbulent shockwaves as Cell appeared overhead, furiously healed and charged up to loom murderously in the sky. His features were contorted in fearsome wrath, the look in his eyes crazed when he focused them on Sofia and Piccolo. "YOU MONSTROUS, MALEVOLENT _FREAK_!" he roared, bellowing as he powered up a blast in his hand before shouting, "I will suffer you no more!"

Realizing Cell was going to fire on them, Gohan sprung into action, using his preternatural Super Saiyan speed to race across the distance. Just as Cell unleashed his ki blast, Gohan leapt into its path, taking the attack and shielding Sofia and Piccolo from it.

"GOHAN!" Piccolo shouted while Sofia gasped and balked across from where they'd last seen the fighter.

When the dust cleared, it revealed Gohan sprawled on his side, causing Cell to frown when the boy suddenly struggled to regain his bearings as he stood. However, when he saw his bloodied and battered left arm drop uselessly to his side, the villainous Android cackled, "Hah! My aim always finds a target. What luck." Appearing suddenly to stand across from Gohan, Cell smirked as he took the stance that preluded his father's signature attack. Shocked, Gohan glared at Cell when he chuckled, "Heh. I see that fighting spirit hasn't diminished at all. But, it's time I end this."

Knowing what Cell intended to do, Gohan shouted over his shoulder, "You guys get to safety!"

Piccolo picked up Sofia and rushed out of the way, blasting to the outskirt of the battlefield where the others were congregating.

"No! We can't fall back," Sofia protested, but Piccolo stopped her from trying to pull away.

"There's nothing we can do. Whatever is intended for us needs to happen, Sofia," he urged, gripping her arms and beseechingly looking into her frenzied gaze. "Dammit! I wish it was different too…if only I was stronger," Piccolo grumbled contumely at himself.

"He's too wounded to take a real stand against Cell though! We're out of Senzu Beans," Krillin fretted while he cradled Eighteen in his arms, holding onto her while the violent shockwaves continued to blow the air turbulently across the terrain.

Turning to look back at Gohan, Sofia desperately warred with her anxiety and fear about the outcome diverging – resulting in Cell winning. The thought terrified her. _Please, Goku. You gotta give him the strength to get through this!_

"It ends here, Gohan. First, I'll destroy you, then your friends – and then I'll annihilate this world and use Goku's wonderful Instant Transmission technique to world hop until the universe is mine!" Cell boasted triumphantly, skyrocketing his aura to such a level that the Earth began to quake from his energy field.

From his downtrodden vantage point, Vegeta stared in wide-eyed dismay at the doomsday scenario that was before him. After everything, he couldn't find fault in anyone else but himself for not being up to the task of destroying Cell. Watching his greatest rival's son stand against the bastard that had humiliated him and taken his own son's life was enough to humble the Saiyan Prince.

"This is all my fault. I'm sorry, Gohan…"

Shocked to hear Vegeta actually say those words, Gohan knew it meant that even he thought the battle was truly lost now. _His power is too much. Earth is doomed—I should've destroyed Cell when I had the chance…it's all too late._

"Oh man, is this it?! Is this how it's all really gonna end?" Krillin fearfully lamented, while Piccolo grappled with his own impotent frustration at being relegated to the sidelines.

Sofia was watching with baited breath as she heard Cell taunt, "Aw, what's the matter? C'mon—let's see your valiant last stand against my perfection!"

"What's the point…there's no point fighting," Gohan groused. "My dad sacrificed himself for nothing, so just go on and get it over with," he ruminated bitingly, begrudgingly resolved to his fate.

"Hah! How anticlimactic," Cell spat mockingly. "If you have a death wish, then I'll happily oblige you!"

_I'm sorry for everything. I'll see you soon, dad…_

'Hey, seriously?! C'mon, that doesn't sound like the Gohan I know! Don't go giving up now.'

"W-what?! Dad? Is that you?!" Gohan shouted in disbelief. While he listened to his father's telepathic pep talk all the way from Otherworld, everyone else marveled bemusedly at what could be happening, but Sofia clasped her hands together and smiled.

'Goku's talking to him. He's giving him the motivation he needs to stay in the fight,' Sofia murmured telepathically to Piccolo, who balked at her before staring wide-eyed back at Gohan.

'I'm going to be with you every step of the way, son. So go on and give Cell everything you've got!' Goku cheerfully reasoned, giving Gohan the confidence he needed to cast all doubt aside and put everything he had in defeating Cell once and for all.

"No more games, kid!" Cell shouted as be finally powered up his version of a Kamehame-ha before pointing his clasped hands and shouting, "I'll see you in hell!"

Bracing himself to muster all of his energy, Gohan countered with his own Kamehame-ha, unleashing a fierce shout as he fired the spiraling blue energy to coalesce and collide against Cell's.

"C'mon, guys! We gotta get the hell out of here, now," Krillin shouted as he picked the unconscious Eighteen up in his arms and blasted off to the sky, with Tien and Yamcha following suit as they carried Trunks with them.

Piccolo and Sofia remained, staring in awe of the enormous energy sphere the colliding attacks were causing to balloon and cannibalize more and more of the terrain as it expanded. Vegeta leapt to the sky and retreated to a plateau while the others hovered miles away from the danger zone of the growing fallout.

"Sofia, we gotta go!" Piccolo grabbed her arm and began to yank her back.

"No! I have to stay—" she began to argue when he circled her waist with his arm and disarmed her to look into his onyx eyes.

"We can't do anything if we get swept up in the attack. C'mon," he cajoled firmly. Relenting, Sofia wrapped her arms around his neck and let him carry her away as he blasted off to the safety of the sky to race away from the expanding dueling attack circumference.

Once the Z Fighters were out of the fray, they landed on a far off cliff. Placing Trunks and Eighteen down for safety, they turned to watch aghast at the impending outcome, worried that it would not be in their favor. When Piccolo and Sofia landed, they stared back and watched as the energy sphere seemed to tip in Cell's favor when his power drove mercilessly against Gohan's.

"Dammit, Gohan can't hold his attack off!" Piccolo exclaimed tensely.

'If you're holding back still, you gotta let it all go now, son! There's no reason for you to doubt yourself – just push through and give him all you've got!' Goku cheered on from Otherworld.

Gohan was skidding backwards against the force while he cried out, "I'm trying!" Bracing against another burst of his power and honing it into his attack, he bore down against the strain and gave the Kamehameha all he had.

"What're you babbling about, boy?! Your power is NOTHING against mine!" Cell bellowed haughtily before blasting another reserve of energy into his attack, which again barreled to dominate the colliding sphere and leave Gohan struggling to keep his attack going.

"No! This isn't fair," Piccolo snarled as he watched on, impotent rage leaving him simmering. "I've gotta help him!" He turned to look at Sofia, and when she hesitated, he gave her a resolute look before muttering, "I have to go. Stay here—"

"As if!" she snapped, poking him admonishingly in the chest as she barked, "I go where you go, got it?!"

Sweating tersely at that, he grunted, "Fine!" When they both blasted off towards the battlefield, Krillin and the others balked and shouted after them.

'You don't get involved unless it's absolutely necessary, ok?' Piccolo mused crisply over their rapport.

She curtly nodded, expression guarded as they flew into the turbulent atmosphere. Splitting up, Sofia landed to the flank of the enormous energy beam so she was able to see Gohan and Cell's reactions while Piccolo flew to fire a Masenko-ha attack at Cell's back. It took everything in her being not to run to his side when the bioengineered Android retaliated with a counterattack that flared from his aura and blasted Piccolo backwards to skid across the terrain. 'Piccolo! Are you ok?'

'Y-yeah!' he answered as he struggled to get to his feet, already charging up his Special Beam Cannon as he sauntered tensely towards Cell's back again.

"What the hell are they doing?! They're being crazy! Cell's completely out of our league—" Krillin stammered angrily when Tien interrupted him.

"They knew that going in. It's not about anything but helping Gohan get the edge on that monster," the triclops explained as he began to hone his own aura in preparation for racing into the fight himself.

"You can't be serious, Tien! You're gonna go in there too?!" the former monk exclaimed.

"I can't stand here and let Gohan fight all alone while he gives his all to protect us! I'd rather die fighting than not do anything to help," Tien reasoned, earning Yamcha's agreement. Setting off towards the battlefield, Krillin begrudgingly followed suit after fawningly saying his goodbyes to an unconscious Eighteen.

Vegeta watched them all fly in to uselessly attempt to thwart Cell. One by one, their attacks didn't make a dent and only earned them a psionic blast from the bioengineered Android. Yet, they persisted, and kept attacking Cell – vexing the pompous foe and allowing Gohan to inch back little by little into meeting his attack with enough power to not succumb to defeat.

'Gohan! Put more energy into your attack – it's going to work, so don't worry about the others,' Goku shouted telepathically, wanting to rally his son as best as he could. "Remember all the people he's hurt – make him pay! Dig deep and use your anger to push through!"

Using her own psionic energy sphere to shield herself from the turbulent blowback caused by the colliding attacks, Sofia watched helplessly as all the guys were again repelled brutally by Cell's counterattack. They were all blasted forcefully away to scatter to the distance, leaving only she to watch on as Cell snarled glibly, "SAY HI TO DAD! Hahahahahah—" Suddenly, he was rocked by a surprise energy attack that came from his left flank and blasted him to focus at the surprise attacker. "What?! Vegeta?!"

In that split second of distraction, Goku hollered for Gohan to fire with all his energy, and with a baleful cry, Gohan unleashed everything he had, flooding his ki into the energy and expanding his Kamehame-ha to snuff out Cell's. The energy consumed the Android's attack and enveloped him in its path – trapping him in the coalescing radiance that began to cannibalize Cell ravenously while he gaped in horror, disbelieving his defeat as he irately shouted, "N-nooooooo, this can't be! I-AM-PERFECTIOOOOOOOON—!"

The massive energy wave gobbled Cell up, eviscerating him to the molecular level so he would not be able to regenerate, before the beam careened upwards into the sky and it's contrail zinged through the stratosphere.

Bracing herself to stand precariously near the massive crater their dueling energies had carved into the terrain, Sofia glanced up and dissipated her protective shield when she saw the others marveling in the safety of the sky while an exhausted Gohan powered down and began to plummeted listlessly to the ground. Racing, Sofia rushed across and slid in like baseball player coming into home base just in time to help break Gohan's fall. Catching him and crashing to the ground, she held him as he panted with a loopy smile on his face.

"It's over! Cell's power level is gone," Piccolo exclaimed, astonished.

As they all exchanged relieved quips, Sofia laid flat, trying to regain her breath while Gohan panted and began to laugh, as if hearing something endearing.

"We did it," Gohan rasped while the others landed and triumphantly huddled around them. Yamcha helped to pick Gohan up in his arms so Piccolo could give Sofia a hand up.

Once she stood, she turned and ruffled Gohan's hair affectionately as she murmured, "Goku's definitely proud of you, kid. We all are," she remarked in a raspy tone.

"Thanks," he whispered before finally passing out from exhaustion. Once he did, Sofia's smile dropped and her expression became guarded as she turned to glance up at Vegeta, who was still hovering in the sky.

"Poor kid. He's all tuckered out," Yamcha murmured while the others sighed in relief.

Piccolo caught her glance, and turned to see that Vegeta was brooding as he loomed up in the air. As Yamcha agreed with Tien about carrying Gohan up to the Lookout while the triclops went to collect Trunks, Krillin lamely stammered an excuse for why he would fetch Eighteen.

Floating upwards, Sofia zipped over to hover next to Vegeta. "I won't patronize you by telling you how to feel, but, I want to thank you."

Scoffing, Vegeta tried to muster the umbrage for a believable glower, but found himself unable to feel disdain at the moment. "Will you see to it that Trunks be wished back?"

Nodding, she surprised him by placing her hand on his shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I'd rather you come and see it done yourself. Hell – it'll be better than letting your thoughts badger you into a brooding, self-loathing loop," she sardonically mused. When Vegeta glanced sharply at her hand, but didn't shrug it off, she added brashly, "C'mon, best buddy—!"

Smacking her hand off now, he sneered bitingly, "Alright, that's enough! I'll tag along as long as you promise to stow that shit."

Smiling from ear to ear, she nodded and glanced back to see the others had already rushed ahead of them. Piccolo gestured with a nod for her to come along, so she zoomed over and fell into flight by his side while Vegeta grudgingly grunted and followed along, at a tepid distance.

As the battered battlefield became a deserted, eerily quiet landscape, Mr. Satan dragged himself free of the debris he'd been buried by. Standing in a daze, he snapped out of the stupor to balk in bewildered confusion at the desolate scape. Fighting gi tattered and face caked with dust, he shook his head as he stammered, "Holy hell…where'd everybody go?!"

Turning when he heard the lame groans coming from a battered outcropping, he saw as the Z-TV reporter sprung free and forlornly lamented the lack of a working mic while his cameraman was stumbling up a rock slide to peer into his dented and semi-submerged news van. "Yo! It looks like some of the transmission equipment is still working. I can rig at least the audio to work," the backward cap-wearing man shouted out as he dove into the van's open side door to rummage for what he needed.

"That's great news!" the reporter shouted as he rushed over to Hercule and demanded, "Oh champ! You're still here! What on Earth happened at the outset?! Did you see? That huge explosion must've knocked me out cold."

"Uhhh," Hercule grunted before snapping to it and boasting unconvincingly, "Y-yeah! I – the World Champion – went and beat Cell until he exploded into smithereens! Yep! I put that green bastard in his place! That's exactly what happened, hahahah!"

Blinking with scrutinizing eyes up at the mustachioed fighter, the reporter drawled, "Really?! But then what happened to the boy, and the crimson-clad fighter and all the others who were on the cliff?"

"Yeah—hmm? Oh, they thanked me for saving their skins and headed off! Yep. That's the story, bud,"Hercule boasted, getting his confidence in spinning a tale back when the reporter actually stared fawningly up at him, hanging on his every word.

"That's stupendous!" As the reporter rushed over to get the backup microphone to the audio transmitter the cameraman held out to him, the man snatched it and jovially cheered, "People of the world: thank you for waiting patiently – even through the technical difficulties. We return to you with joyful news. Cell has been defeated! The planet has been saved from his vicious villainy, and it's all thanks to Mr. Satan!"

Hercule, for his part, stood by and listened to the man shout the news for the world to hear, arms crossed over his broad chest as he breathed a sigh of relief and thought to himself, _Well, shit. It ain't all the way untrue. After all, I did wait for my moment and capitalized. Nothing like being the World Champ – for real!_

* * *

Eyes snapping open with wonder, the first thing Gohan saw was Dende's happy face. "Huh?" The young fighter sat up, completely healed, and glanced around to see everyone was on the Lookout.

"Yay! I'm so glad you're ok," Dende exclaimed while Gohan sat up and stood. "B-but…I'm sorry about you father," he lamented, chipper mood waning.

Glancing down at the new Guardian of Earth, Gohan gave him a sober smile. "Don't feel bad. If it weren't for him, we wouldn't have stood a chance. He helped me defeat Cell," he remarked as he looked exuberantly around, spotting Sofia and seeing her demeanor as she stood across from the group, almost isolated.

"What do you mean, buddy?" Krillin inquired, confused.

"Oh—Dad spoke to me from Otherworld and helped talk me through the fight! I could feel his energy all around me. He was by my side the whole time I was fighting Cell, telling me he knew I could beat him. He's the one who really saved us," Gohan explained, jovially beaming with pride.

"Huh, well in any case, you did well, Gohan. We're all proud of you, kid," Piccolo remarked, sauntering over and affectionately ruffling Gohan's hair as he mused, "You've grown into quite the warrior."

Smiling up at his mentor and friend, Gohan relished the compliment as he dashed over towards Sofia while Krillin convinced Dende to use his healing abilities on the unconscious Android 18. "Hey Sofia, thanks for helping—" the raven-haired fighter began congenially, but cut himself off when he got close enough to see that Sofia's expression was stoic, yet her eyes were drawn in faraway glance as she stared across at the sky, as if trying to sense something. Her crimson gaze was sad, and he wondered why she still seemed so distraught. "What's wrong?"

Piccolo watched from afar, while the fellas argued with Krillin about the merits of bringing Android 18 to be healed to begin with. He'd felt her psyche grow despondent, and her reticence only became more compounded the closer they got to the Lookout. 'She's taking this hard. Damn Goku for being such a blockhead!' he grumbled tersely.

'Unfortunately there is such a thing as destiny. You of all people should know that very well now,' Kami mused, referencing the very attachment that tethered them to each other as twin stars to imply his point.

Grunting, he let the two talk while Dende concentrated on healing Eighteen.

Meanwhile, Sofia had been truly depressed when the reality hit her as they flew up to the Lookout. _Goku isn't coming back…_

When Gohan came to check on her, she found it hard to detach herself from the grief she felt. She couldn't explain to Gohan why she was upset, and that saddened her even more. So, she managed to carefully muse, "I guess being in the fight and taking on the losses we did was more than I'd ever anticipated, even with knowing what was going to happen…" She crouched down and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Watching you fight was the most awesome thing," she mused as she affectionately shook his shoulder. "You inspire me, Gohan."

"Aww, c'mon!" he modestly giggled, folding his hands behind his head in a gesture very reminiscent of his father. The comparison shot a pang of sadness through her heart.

"Dende! Get away from that blonde she-devil," they heard Yamcha shouted from a safe distance, stirring Gohan and Sofia to balk over at the sardonically comical exchange. "She's dangerous!"

"Jeez, Yamcha! Give it a rest," the former monk shot at his skittish friend before turning to address Eighteen. "Uh, you were unconscious, so we took you to the Lookout. You're among friends, and Gohan beat Cell!"

Eighteen gasped, "Gohan defeated him?!"

"That's right! The kid is no-joke incredible now – super powerful, so if you wanna go another rampage, you missed your chance," Yamcha shouted over comically.

"Why don't you say it from here, Yamcha," Tien grumbled sardonically.

"Krillin's the reason you're alive," Piccolo addressed the blonde matter-of-factly. "After Cell spat you out, he defended you, Eighteen."

Sofia and Gohan approached. "That's right, girl! My dude Krillin made sure to stay by your side and shield you from any harm," Sofia remarked as she came up to stand next to Piccolo.

"What?" Eighteen was shocked, taken aback and left to stare at Krillin in disarmed awe.

"Uh – I—well I just figured someone should look after you since you were out cold and all!" Krillin bashfully explained, bemusing his fellow fighters until Gohan gasped.

"Oh wow—Krillin was protecting Eighteen cuz he totally has a crush on her!" the young fighter blurted goofily, earning a mortified bonk on the head from Krillin.

"Jeez! She's right there, man—have a little discretion," the former monk admonished.

"Bro, really?! Say it ain't so!" Yamcha bemoaned while Tien pointed out that she was still an Android though.

"Oh, is that it? Think I'm just a damsel in distress that owes you the time of day now?" Eighteen harangued, crushing Krillin's spirits when she snapped, "If you think this endears you to me, you got another thing coming, short stuff!"

When she stalked away and blasted off of the Lookout, Krillin practically deflated. Rushing over, Yamcha jeered with bravado, "What an ingrate! Why, if she hadn't stormed off, I'd give her a peace of my mind—"

"Sure you would, Yamcha," Tien mused dryly. "Really no point in saving face now."

Sofia sighed and went over to Krillin, patting him on the back as she murmured, "Don't worry. She's just got a lot to work through now, but she'll come around." When the shorter man blinked with hopeful wide eyes at her, she winked at him. Sense of faith restored, Krillin breathed a sigh of relief.

"Enough with that. Our first order of business should be wishing Trunks and everyone who died by Cell's actions back to life with the dragon balls," Piccolo rumbled sternly, snapping everyone back to the course at hand.

"Yes, indeed," Mr. Popo remarked as he arranged the dragon balls before Dende so the young Namekian could recite the incantation to summon forth Shenron.

From his brooding, anti-social vantage point, Vegeta watched as the sky darkened overhead and the blowing orbs blasted forth to unleash the mystical dragon, who loomed over the Lookout in a radiant golden aura before he uncoiled his body to lower his head down and address those who'd called him forth.

"Who summons me? Speak your wishes so that I may return to my slumber," the dragon boomed, eyes vermilion as they opaquely stared down at them all.

Sofia stared up in awe, impressed with the iconic being now that she was privy to seeing him up close and in the preternatural flesh.

"Shenron, for our first wish, we want you to bring back everyone who was killed by Cell," Yamcha shouted.

"That is a simple request," Shenron declared as his eyes glowed red just before Trunks resuscitated and sat up in startled bemusement.

Turning, Sofia's eyes quivered as they welled with unshed tears. Before they registered it, she'd raced across the courtyard and hugged Trunks with relieved exuberance, startling the lavender-haired warrior even more after just getting to his feet. "Uh, hey. What happened?" he rasped in confusion, arms tense at his sides for fear that Piccolo would throttle him again for returning her embrace.

Sofia pulled back, and the relieved expression was erased – replaced with an ominously furious look that actually irked everyone as she forebodingly seethed at the wide-eyed demi-Saiyan with furious glowing crimson eyes, "What the hell POSSESSED you to do that?! Who told you to jump in and take an attack meant for me?! Do you have any idea how that made me feel?!"

Shrinking under her imposing, comically terrifying berate, Trunks chuckled nervously as he stammered, "I-I wasn't going to let you take _another_ one of Cell's damned death strikes and I just couldn't think of a better idea than pushing you out of the way—!"

"Whoa, so how are they _not_ an item?" Yamcha wondered out loud while Tien and Krillin gaped and shrugged, leaving Gohan to stare in awe while Piccolo shook his head ruefully at the exchange.

"A-hem! What is your second wish? I do not like to wait," Shenron boomed impatiently down to them.

While Yamcha asked Shenron if he could bring back Goku, Sofia grabbed Trunks by the neckline of his chest armor and shook him one last time before relenting and hugging him again, earning a confounded sweatdrop from the warrior from the future. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you guys…" she whispered, biting back tears.

Expression softening with understanding, Trunks realized the amount of grief she must've been suffering through, relating to that impotent feeling. Hugging her reassuringly, he bolstered, "Hey, you did your best! That's all any of us can do. Thanks for being such a great friend, Sofia."

Pulling back and sniffling, she wiped her stray tears away before they rolled down her cheeks. "Don't you ever do that shit again though, Trunks!" she barked, causing him to flinch and do a goofy salute as he curtly nodded in appeasement.

When they joined the others, Piccolo muttered, "It's as I feared. Since Dende created a new Earth dragon, I was hoping Goku would be revived along with the others, but this dragon was made from the old model as the previous dragon balls, so he must have the same limitations as before. He can't bring back Goku."

"Man, that's a shame," Tien lamented, head bowed.

"Oh, c'mon Shenron! There's gotta be a way you can bring Goku back just this one time," Yamcha complained to the mystical dragon.

"I will not repeat myself! Goku has already been brought back once before," Shenron rumbled gruffly. "Now, speak a new wish."

As they continued to brainstorm other ways and loopholes in bringing Goku back, Sofia got quiet and reserved, eyes faraway as she frowned. _He's not coming back. No matter what we plan, he's going to tell everyone he'd rather stay in Otherworld—_

"—Think about it! Turning back time would mean Cell would be alive, and the whole damned thing would start over as a vicious cycle," she heard Piccolo argue, taking the wind out of Krillin's rewinding time idea.

"Oh—we could ask Porunga!" Dende exclaimed before he quickly explained that Porunga could wish people back to life an infinite amount of times.

"That's right. The Namekian dragon doesn't have the same limitations as Shenron," Piccolo remarked, thinking that the plan could be plausible.

"Awesome! We just need to get ourselves to New Namek," Krillin plotted out.

"We could use the wish to zap us straight there!" Yamcha enthusiastically suggested, rallying everyone to the idea.

Sofia felt her spirits deflate as she waited for the inevitable.

'Hey! Don't I have a say in this?'

Everyone paused and stared incredulously about, trying to find the source of the voice.

"…Dad?!" Gohan shouted, leaving everyone startled. Even Vegeta was tensely frozen as he heard Kakarot speaking to them from the grave.

'Hey, guys! I'm talking to you from Otherworld. I'm with King Kai, and he's been nice enough to let me reach out,' Goku explained in his telepathic, echoing voice. 'So, I heard all of your ideas, and, well, I don't think using that second wish to spirit yourselves to New Namek makes a whole lot of sense…'

Demeanor quirking at that, Sofia snapped out of her dejection and blinked, realizing Goku had oddly phrased that.

"Well, uh, what're we supposed to do then?" Krillin inquired to the heavens.

'Hmmm, well, that's the thing. I've sort of been thinking about something Bulma once told me that stuck with me – that like, I'm a magnet for all the crazy bad guys who come to destroy the Earth,' Goku reasoned. Sofia frowned again, shoulders drooping as she thought she must've misremembered the first part. '…But then, I started to think that plenty of weird villains have shown up while I wasn't around, so maybe I'm not _really_ a magnet for trouble all the time, heheheh. And anyway, I don't really know if it makes sense for you guys to waste a wish just to go to New Namek on my account—'

"Wait!" Sofia shouted, eyes wide and filled with sparkling hope as her whole demeanor lit up with enthusiasm. "Wait—! Goku, are you serious?! Do you mean it?"

'Uhhhh, yeah! I feel really bad I dragged King Kai into this, so maybe wish him back—'

'Oooo, that's a GREAT idea, Goku!' King Kai's nasally voice echoed telepathically down to them, irking the others while Sofia's expression went from hopeful to complete jubilation.

"HOLD IT! Wait and let me think here," Sofia flailed excitedly, earning sweatdrops from the other Z Fighters as she gesticulated wildly with her arms. _Goku isn't saying anything about staying in Otherworld! We have a shot at bringing him back to life, and he can still father Goten!_ She thought with elation as she tempestuously wracked her mind for a scenario in which they could wish him back without wasting Shenron's second wish – which was meant for Krillin to use.

"I am growing TIRED of waiting!" Shenron boomed down suddenly. "Tell me your second wish now—"

"HEY!" Sofia thundered up at the dragon with furious exasperation. "What the hell's the rush for, huh?! Where ELSE you gotta be, eh? You can stand to WAIT a little longer, alright?!"

Shocking everyone, they froze in anticipation until they looked up and saw Shenron recoil with mortified consternation before sweatdropping and grousing cautiously, "W-Well, I guess my slumber can wait a bit longer…"

Piccolo balked, never having seen Shenron bow to such pressure before, especially with such a twinge of bemused nervousness. "Well I'll be damned…" he muttered to himself while the others exchanged baffled glances.

"Ok, I got it!" Sofia shouted and slapped her fist into her palm as the moment of eureka finally hit. "Alright, here's the plan. Goku: You and King Kai need to telepathically link up with grand elder Moori and ask him to collect the Namekian dragon balls. Moori will wish Goku back!" she exclaimed while the others listened with amazement at the ingenuity. "Then, he'll wish for King Kai to be brought back to life! If my theory is correct, by wishing you back, King Kai, you being revived will automatically revive your planet! And since Bubbles and Gregory are sorta divine beings tied to the planet, they should come back too," she explained, hearing King Kai exclaim with excited shock.

'Oh my word – that's actually an excellent plan! Why couldn't you have thought of it, Goku?!' King Kai shouted comically.

'Awww, c'mon, King Kai! You know I'm no good at plans like that,' Goku lamely quipped. 'Oh, what about the 3rd wish?'

Glancing at the others, she looked over at Piccolo as she hesitated. When he gave her a reassuring look and nodded for her to go for it, she cleared her mind and projected telepathically so the others on the Lookout couldn't hear, 'King Kai: I need you to ask Moori to wish for an Otherworld Access Pass for Goku.'

'…SAY WHAAAAAT?!' the nasally shout boomed in her mind, causing her to flinch and clench her jaw. 'What in all the heavens would be the reason for such a request?!'

'Look, I can't tell you right now, but do you think Porunga can grant it?' she insisted beseechingly.

'W-Well, I suppose so…but that is a very unorthodox request. Why would Goku require such a thing if he's being wished back?!' the North Kai inquired while Goku hummed and stared at his back with perplexed wonder, curious as to why they were talking in telepathic secret now.

'It's because he's _being_ wished back to life, and technically, that's not supposed to happen right now, but due to extenuating circumstances, he has to be revived, but still needs to have access to traveling to Otherworld for the divine training Goku will need for future battles to come! Please, King Kai…trust me,' Sofia plead her case to the Kai, hoping he would take her word for it.

'…You're looking out for the future, and if you're sure this will help preserve the peace on Earth and throughout the universe – especially the North quadrant, then I'll put my trust in you, young lady,' the Kai responded with a sober air of regality in his nasally tone.

"You will?!" Sofia shouted out loud, startling the others who'd been left out of the conversation for the short beat.

'I sure will!' King Kai replied jovially, astounding Goku, who was scratching his head in idle wonder at what they could've agreed to while the others on the Lookout watched Sofia leap cheerfully up in the air and fist pump in exuberant celebration.

"AWESOME! Thanks, King Kai. You're the best!" Sofia shouted up at the Kai.

'D'aaww, shucks, how sweet to get a compliment,' King Kai chortled before giggling in that goofy way of his.

"Goku: Once King Kai's planet is revived, you can use Instant Transmission to ping back to Earth!" Sofia explained, earning an excited cheer from Gohan before Krillin sniffled happily while Tien and Yamcha high-fived each other. Trunks laughed encouragingly at Sofia when she grinned over at them and gave a goofy thumb's up of accomplishment. Piccolo smirked proudly at her, knowing just how much this meant to her and happy it was going to actually work out in the outcome she'd worked so hard for.

"Uh-umm, excuse me," Shenron carefully grumbled, snapping everyone's attention back up at him when he continued meekly, "Will you be needing that second wish any time soon?"

Sofia gave him a sharp, stultifying look before she suddenly broke out into a beaming grin and shouted, "Awww, you're a real pal, Shenron! Thanks for waiting patiently. We do have an idea for your last wish." She remarked before turning to the former monk, who paused at being addressed by the taller woman. "Isn't that right, Krillin."

* * *

Eighteen had snuck back up to the Lookout as soon as the sky darkened and she'd seen the magical dragon hovering up in the heavens. Curious, she'd backtracked and hidden behind one of the column-based towers that flanked the palace. As she eavesdropped, she heard Krillin ask the dragon to turn her brother and herself back to humans. Astounded, she listened as the dragon boomed, "That is a request I cannot fulfill. The Androids are beings whose power far exceed my own. I cannot revert them to the humans they once were."

"Damn, I was afraid of that," Krillin muttered.

"Why include Seventeen? He's long gone," Yamcha remarked, curious.

"Remember, we wished back everyone who'd been killed by Cell. Seventeen was obviously included among those restored," Piccolo answered, glancing at Sofia, who nodded in the affirmative.

"Hey—if you can't turn them back into humans, could you remove the bombs that are in their chests?" Krilling exclaimed eagerly up at Shenron.

"Yes, I can," Shenron replied before his eyes glowed red. "There. I have removed the explosive devices. I bid you farewell."

In a flash of light, Shenron blasted off before morphing into a golden glow that split off into seven different beams as the dragon balls were returned to the Earth below.

"What the—why would he…?" Eighteen marveled, perplexed.

"I don't get it. Why would you wish for that, Krillin?" Trunks inquired, baffled.

"I guess I just felt bad for them. No reason they should be walking around with a bomb in their chests!" the former monk reasoned.

"Ok, but then why'd you wished to remove Seventeen's bomb as well—or help either of them for that matter," Tien muttered tersely.

"Uh—Because Eighteen is a nice person, and-and Seventeen and she are a matching set – made for each other, literally! They obviously care for each other, and…well and I just want her to be happy and safe, so I want the same for Seventeen," Krillin gushed tensely before genuinely sighing the latter end, wistfully smiling when Gohan hummed in awe.

"That's overly chivalrous of you, but probably moot, all considering," Piccolo mused in a dry baritone, earning an elbow from Sofia to the side. "What? They _are_ Androids—"

Sofia face palmed ruefully and shook her head at that. "You guys are—"

"Idiots!" Eighteen shouted as she rushed out from where she'd been hiding to glare across at them.

"E-Eighteen?!" Krillin stammered, shocked to see her and realizing she must've heard everything.

"Listen, you all got the wrong idea! Seventeen is my twin brother, got it? And we're not and never will be a 'matching set', you weirdos!" the blonde railed in her sharp, cold tone.

"R-really?! But I thought—" Krillin remarked, hopes soaring.

"I _know_ what you thought, you blockhead! And if you're hoping I'm suddenly going to like you because of some silly wish, you're sadly mistaken," she harangued, turning in a huff before pausing tensely, shooting a stoic glance over her shoulder at Krillin before muttering, "See you later."

With that, she blasted off into the sky, jetting off to parts unknown. Baffled, Krillin stared as he muttered, "What just happened?"

"Whoa! She said she'll see yah later?! That's GREAT, Krillin!" Yamcha cheered on while the others tensely exchanged glances. "She's totally into you, otherwise she'd have taken off without any word whatsoever. You still got a chance, buddy!"

"You really think so?!" Krillin spun around and shook Yamcha eagerly.

Sofia giggled, "Just play your cards right, Krillin. And whatever you do, do _not_ follow any of Yamcha's advice."

"Hey! I _am_ the resident Casanova here," Yamcha boasted, earning sweatdrops from Tien and Trunks while Sofia and Gohan laughed.

"I don't always understand how certain infatuations form, but this one I don't get at all," Piccolo mused earnestly, earning another giggle from Sofia as he moodily crossed his arms.

"All of you lay off of Krillin! He's clearly got game, so no need to be perplexed by his swagger," she remarked as she brashly patted the shorter man across the back, comically leaving him blushing while Yamcha scoffed and Trunks and Tien shook their heads.

"How much longer do I have to put up with this moronic display?"

Turning to acknowledge Vegeta, who'd strode over from where he'd been standing, the group sobered when he haughtily glanced at Sofia. Meanwhile, Trunks stood tensely, not having realized his father had been present, and wondered why he'd chosen to come up to the Lookout to begin with.

'Ahem, can you guys hear me down there? Just want to let you know Moori's gathered the Namekian dragon balls and is about to start wishing! Stand by,' King Kai reported suddenly.

Sofia lit up and rushed to dance around Vegeta as she chirped, "Be patient, mon ami!"

Rolling his eyes and crossing his arms, Vegeta scoffed to her, "Let me guess: Kakarot was supposed to stay dead, and now the outcome has changed so you're being an insufferable dork—"

Phasing to throw her arm around his shoulders and pull him against her side for a brash embracing shake, she grinned, "It's so annoying how damned sharp you are, but I ain't even mad right now!" Shooting him a sidelong glance she chortled, "Admit it: You were bummed at the prospect of Kakarot not being around anymore. But hey—now, we can keep training to surpass him—"

"We?" Vegeta drawled and arched a skeptical brow at her.

"Sure! You think I want to let BOTH of you surpass me? I want to stay in lock-step in strength with you two," she complimented, adding quickly, "Not that I'd ever match up to Super Saiyans, but I wanna try."

Shrugging her arm off his shoulders, Vegeta groused, "Try is the operative word, stealth. You're lucky I don't mind your audacity."

Smiling, she gave him a mischievous look before tossing her arms over her head and tilting back on her heels. Her expression froze though when she sensed Goku's ki signature blip in her mind before the others paused and glanced around as well. Then, in a blink, Goku appeared in the center of the courtyard across from them. Wide-eyed, he took everyone in before smiling. "Hey guys!" he congenially shouted, hand up in a greeting gesture.

"D-Daaaad!" Gohan shouted as he rushed forward and jumped into Goku's arms, hugging him with desperate relief.

Sofia's eyes welled with tears, gleaming like shimmering rubies as she ambled over with the others to greet the jovial fighter.

"We're glad we found a way to wish you back," Yamcha cheered, slapping his hand platonically on Goku's back.

"Yeah, it's great to have you back, buddy!" Krillin remarked as he smiled up at his best friend.

When Goku looked up and saw Sofia's expression, the level of emotion quivering in her eyes disarmed him. Blinking innocently at her, he remarked, "Ah man, did I mess up again—"

In a split second, she was hugging him, arms encircling his shoulders tightly as she struggled to keep her composure. "No, Kakarot…you didn't mess up. I'm just glad you're back," she murmured, the lump in her throat catching and threatening to leave her blubbering.

Relieved, Goku hugged her back as he chuckled, "I'm glad to be back. Thanks for helping make it happen!"

Pulling back to scrub the back of her hand across her eyes as she smiled through her tears, she snickered at that, sniffling as she shook her head and regained her composure in order to grab his shoulders and give them a playful shake. "Holy crap! What're we doing just standing here?! We gotta get you home to Chi-Chi!" she declared before whirling around and shouting, "Goku's totally gonna get some tonight, you guys!"

Face faulting at that, the adults couldn't handle her crass remark, but Gohan just scratched the back of his head as he tried to comprehend what the big deal was while Goku belly laughed and Sofia posed innocently, batting her lashes as if she hadn't just declared Goku's coital plans.

"Well then, I'm thankful everything worked out. I'm going to head out—" Tien began after they'd all recovered, intending to say his goodbyes and head off to reunite with Chiaotzu, when Sofia whirled around and ominously loomed over him.

"WHAT?! Leaving?! Hellooooooo! Goku is ALIVE and we BEAT Cell! Gah, what is it with you guys?!" She harangued, whirling around and addressing them all comically as she barked, "You literally do this all the time, and it's a huge pet peeve—like, what is the rush to go back and do NOTHING after such an epic win that calls for celebration!?"

Blinking pitifully at her, everyone froze but Piccolo, Goku and Gohan, who just chuckled or shook their head, having gotten used to Sofia's dour shifts in demeanor when she was on a passionate rant.

From their place standing by the palace, Dende glanced up at Mr. Popo and mused, "She's very fiery, isn't she?"

"Oh, most definitely," the ebony genie mused. "You'll get used to it."

"I-uh, well, what'd you have in mind?" Tien relented, no match for her foreboding temper.

"Hmph," she huffed as she sobered to pose imperiously, then shouted, "First off, we're going to freaking PARTY! Trunks is going back to the future tomorrow, and Goku is BACK, so this calls for celebration, and THEN you all can mosey off into parts unknown until the next jerk threatens the Earth," then added in an aside, "Which also REALLY annoys me that you guys can go literal years without hanging out, but that's a matter for another day!"

"Heheheh, well that sounds fair to me," Krillin laughed while Yamcha sweated and vigorously nodded in agreement.

"Good! Now let's go—" Sofia began when Vegeta scoffed behind her.

"As if I'd be caught dead going to Kakarot's hovel just to waste more time fraternizing—" the mercurial Saiyan began to rumble when Sofia did a slow spin, glaring at Vegeta with eyes that looked like burning rage lasers.

"If you finish that sentence, I will _never_ cook a meal for you _ever_ again, Vegeta."

Quickly pausing, Vegeta glowered and wrinkled his nose as the disdain of being one-upped by her made his features darken for a split second before he scoffed with a surly huff, "FINE."

Comically menacing aura subsiding, Sofia grinned beamingly. "Yay~! Ok, let's goooooo," she chortled as she grabbed Goku's arm and swung it enthusiastically, leaving Goku to giggle irreverently while the others laughed at the inanely silly display.

* * *

The parade route was bustling with cheering crowds as streamers and confetti were raining down from the buildings flanking the avenue his caravan was going down. Everyone was chanting his name, and he was basking in the worldwide fame and recognition when the Z-TV reporter suddenly ran up along his convertible to declare, "It's amazing! We've just gotten word that everyone who'd been wiped out by Cell have miraculously come back to life! Isn't that amazing, champ?!"

"Really?!" Hercule balked incredulously at the shorter man before his car phone suddenly rang.

"Uh, Mr. World Champ? It's for you," the driver remarked as he offered Hercule the phone.

Blinking at it, he answered, "Uh, Hercule here."

"Mr. Satan?!" He recoiled from the shrill voice on the line. "Did we miss our cue?! We don't see anyone and the stadium isn't here!"

"…Piiza?! Is that really you?" Hercule gaped, startled.

"Of course it is! Who else would it be?" the strawberry blonde shouted back into the receiver, harried as she sauntered around the desolate terrain while Pirozhki and Caroni balked around uselessly. "I don't understand what happened, but we somehow got dropped by the helicopter somewhere! I'm so sorry for missing our cue, but hopefully the boys can still make their grand entrances—"

"Miss Piiza, the battle's been long over, and yours truly here beat that bastard Cell already, so uh, tell the fellas to go back to the dojo and start working out, cuz I'm gonna be doing a worldwide exhibition tour!" Mr. Satan explained before whispering in the phone, "We'll talk about what happened later, but in the meantime, I'll send someone to come pick ya'll up. Ok? Bye!"

Glancing up and seeing Jimmy Firecracker was still loitering along with his motorcade, Hercule recovered the brash, boisterous attitude as he stood up and flashed the peace sign, shouting triumphantly as the reporter declared, "He's the man, the myth, the legend, Hercule Satan!"

* * *

As soon as they'd arrived to the small cottage in the lush valley of Mt. Paozu, the front door had been flung open as an incredulous Chi-Chi rushed out and embraced her husband with a desperate yearning, tears in her eyes as she kissed him all over his face and hugged him in a tight embrace while he cheerfully consoled her. Next, it was Gohan's turn to be embraced by his over-protective mother while his grandfather gushingly watched from the doorway and the others smiled at seeing the boy's loving welcome home.

Before they could finish explaining what'd happened and why everyone had tagged along, a Capsule Corp hoverjet flew overhead before making a seamless landing in the flat field across from the house. Bulma descended with baby Trunks in her arms, Chiaotzu and Master Roshi in tow, eager to meet up with them and confirm that indeed, Goku had been wished back to life.

"Oh, my boy! I'm so happy that my senses weren't fooling me!" the Turtle Hermit mused as he smiled up at his old pupil. "You had me worried there, Goku."

"Aww, sorry about that, Master Roshi! At least we made it through. It's all thanks to Gohan," the congenial fighter convivially remarked.

"Chiaotzu! What're you doing here?" Tien greeted his best friend as the short, red circle-cheeked fighter hovered over and hugged the triclops happily.

"I went to Kame House to look for you. Bulma and Master Roshi were heading this way, so I tagged along," Chiaotzu explained before greeting the others. "I'm so happy you were brought back to life, Goku!"

"I told him nothing can keep Goku down for the count for long," Bulma quipped as she bounced baby Trunks in her arms, spotting Vegeta sulking off to the side of the house while the group milled around the Son family.

"Hey Mom," Trunks greeted as he came over and coyly smiled when she glanced sharply at him and spotted the ominous damage to his chest armor. "It looks a lot worse than what it was—"

"Oh, sure it was," she narrowed her eyes dubiously at him, earning a nervous laugh from her future son while the tyke in her arms babbled and gestured for Trunks to pick him up.

"It's so great to have so many visitors. I'm sorry that the house is a wreck, and we didn't get around to cooking," Ox King remarked while Chi-Chi continued to protectively fawn over Gohan, who was assuring her he was ok.

"Oh, that's alright! I figured as much, so I brought along this," Bulma remarked as she reached into her pocket, retrieved a capsule, clicked the plunger and tossed it aside. A poof of smoke billowed before clearing to reveal a long picnic table laden with food and refreshments. "Nothing like a nice picnic after thwarting planetary annihilation!" she quipped with a wink.

Goku and Vegeta's stomachs rumbled loudly before they exchanged a competitive glance and raced towards the table to serve themselves. The others balked and laughed at the sight and waited their turns to help themselves. As everyone mingled, Sofia explained to Bulma, Chi-Chi, Master Roshi, Chiaotzu and Ox King how they'd managed to wish Goku back.

"Well then, what a clever girl you are," an elderly woman's voice cackled out, startling them to turn and see Fortuneteller Baba floating on her large crystal ball.

"Baba?! What the heck are you doing here?" Master Roshi inquired, eyeing his sister sharply.

"I came to let Chi-Chi watch the battle on my crystal ball. I guess all the static and commotion overwhelmed me into a much-needed nap," the old crone yawned before floating across to stare sharply at Goku as she invaded his personal space. "I thought your goose was finally cooked there, Goku! Suffice to say you've cashed in another one of your nine lives."

"Uhhh, I didn't actually have to pay to get wished back, Baba," Goku mused naively, causing Baba to topple backwards off of her crystal ball out of mortified consternation.

"It's a figure of speech, you dolt!" she harangued as she recovered and clamored back onto her crystal ball. "Well, this has been enough excitement for me. I'm heading home. You all take care!" the old witch mused as she floated upwards and zoomed out of sight into the quickly approaching night sky.

Smiling at the gathering, Trunks was at the end of the food line when he felt someone approach him at his side.

"You got a second?"

Turning, he looked up at Piccolo, and relaxed his chiseled features. "Sure."

Walking over to the tree in the front yard, the Namekian warrior and the fighter from the future stood under the shade, out of the line of sight from the others. Giving him a sharp, appraising stare, Piccolo crossed his arms over his broad chest. "What you did on the battlefield…" he paused, trying to find the right way to express what he felt compelled to acknowledge. "How you put yourself in harms way. I…thank you."

Staring up in startled wonder, Trunks quickly realized what he was getting at. "You don't have to—"

"Yes. I do," Piccolo interrupted firmly, before lowering his tone to murmur, "You saved her when I couldn't. I am, and will forever be in your debt, Trunks. I…the thought of losing her…"

Trunks saw the weight of that horrible possibility darken Piccolo's gaze, so he sobered, and extended his hand in a 'let bygones be bygones' offer. Blinking, Piccolo shook his hand curtly, and the two fighters exchanged a look of solidarity before Trunks nodded and walked back to where the rest of the group was. Piccolo watched the lavender-haired fighter join the table and sit next to Sofia, who was happily gushing at Goku about something.

Sitting around the table, everyone ate and drank as they regaled those who hadn't been on the battlefield with what they'd seen, the ridiculous boasting lunk-headed Martial Arts fighter that had seemingly taken credit for defeating Cell, and the amazing cooperative fashion they'd helped Gohan get the edge in battle with the maniacal Android. While everyone talked, Piccolo watched from where he was standing. Arms crossed as he stood under the tree in the yard, he focused on Sofia when she elbowed Trunks playfully while he explained how she'd fought Cell. The thought of that battle was pushed aside when his mind replayed the wrathful assault she'd unleashed on Cell that had emanated from the depths of her soul. It was a furious rancor he'd never seen before, let alone a disarming transformation that had reverberated through him from its potent nature. For a split second, when she was tearing into Cell, he'd felt a shudder of fear course through him, and he didn't understand why it bothered him even now. While the conversation switched to silly topics, like Master Roshi paying Sofia compliments on her skin-tight battlesuit as he struggled to keep his lecherous groping hands in check while Goku and Gohan giggled at Chi-Chi punching the master to fall backwards, Piccolo hadn't noticed Vegeta lope over to antisocially stand off to the side, adjacent to him.

"She is formidable. Shame there are no other Saiyans around to make her their mate," Vegeta mused in a goading tone, earning a sharp sidelong glance from Piccolo. "The boy was quite smitten with her—"

"Lucky for me Trunks is going back to his own time tomorrow, then," he drawled dryly, not betraying a hint of bother.

Grunting with humor, Vegeta smirked as he groused, "Even so, she's made it quite clear she's claimed you. I don't get the appeal, but hey, to each their own."

"I know. I say the same thing about Bulma and you often," Piccolo shot back offhandedly, smirking when Vegeta's smirk twitched down into a sneer. "Now, spare me the snide banter. What do you _really_ want to say to me, Vegeta?"

Sobering, Vegeta crossed his arms tightly as he scoffed and glanced back at Sofia, who was currently showing the others how she had trained Gohan to be a great dancer as she cajoled Trunks to join in and follow their dance formation while the demi-Saiyan reluctantly stiffened and laughed nervously. "That…transformation of hers. You should watch that," the Saiyan muttered, ruminating on how to articulate what he meant in a non-caustic way. "The others clearly didn't pick up on it, but you and I know what that was."

Gaze intensifying on the shorter fighter, Piccolo scowled. "You Saiyans transform using raw rage and power all the time—"

"You and I were wicked, malevolent bastards not so long ago. That wasn't just raw power we saw. There was more to it, and it took everything in her to rein it in. What she called forth was in no way comparable to a Super Saiyan transformation. She lost all sense and became something else," Vegeta laid out his cards, giving Piccolo a shrewd look as he added, "She is an enigma, and it's clear that there's something boiling there, just beneath the surface, that is teeming with vicious intent, looking to claw its way free…if it goes unchecked."

Taking pause at that, Piccolo stewed at the mercurial Saiyan's comments before leveling him with a stoic glance and muttering, "I didn't know you cared so much. Do I have to worry about you too?"

"Pfft!" Vegeta scoffed and chuckled, shaking his head sardonically as he rumbled glibly, "She's not my type, luckily for you. A brash and impish female version of Nappa doesn't do it for me. No need to be jealous, although I can't blame you. All this time you've snuck around, desperately trying to keep her your little secret; the while she's been devoted to your weird affair. She's too good for you, even if you are sexually endowed and can give it to her well enough."

Exhaling a wry huff at that, knowing full well what the Saiyan was trying to do, Piccolo stowed his umbrage as he gravelly mused, "I'm glad you consider her a friend, Vegeta."

Expression pinching haughtily, Vegeta grunted noncommittally at the assertion before sauntering away, displeased and miffed by the conceit that he was indeed taking up for someone else. Pleased with getting the last word, Piccolo did let part of his comment bother him. Glancing back at Sofia now, he felt compelled to do something about it, right then and now.

* * *

Wandering off from the large group that had cliqued off into different conversations, Sofia took a breather over by the babbling stream that skirted the property, many yards over from the cottage. Crouching down, she cupped her hands and dipped them in the cool water before splashing the refreshing liquid across her features. Sighing, she let her mind wander over the insane day, fixating on the fact that with Goku alive, there was much to do about his fated training in Otherworld. Before she could let her mind ruminate too deeply on the topic, though, she heard someone approach.

While Yamcha, Krillin and Tien were off to the side of the picnic table chatting away, they didn't notice Piccolo had loped over to join Sofia.

"It's a bummer you're going back to the future tomorrow, but at least you can take everything you've learned here and apply it to taking out the Androids in your time," Tien remarked to Trunks, who'd joined their conversation after Bulma took his baby self to rock him to sleep in her arms.

"Yeah, that's definitely the plan. It was great to experience meeting you all too. Mom will be so happy to hear you're all doing well," Trunks replied with a smile.

"So, since you're going back to the future, now's the chance for you to spill the beans," Yamcha cockily remarked before sliding in conspiratorially and putting his arm around Trunks' shoulders as he confided, "We're dying to know who Sofia's seeing! If it ain't you, at least you can tell me if my theory is correct—"

"Jeez, Yamcha. Would you give it a rest? What's it any of our business?" Tien chastised while Krillin glanced between the two men as he ambivalently agreed at being curious, but also didn't want to pry.

"Oh, c'mon! You know you're just as curious to know," the scar-faced former desert bandit huffed before whispering to Trunks, "Ok, so my new theory is maybe Sofia's not _into_ dudes, and has a girlfriend? Like, she's totally comfortable flaunting her stuff around us and wants to be treated just like one of the guys cuz she's into chicks, right? Huh? Amirite?!"

Sweatdropping in tense perturbation, Trunks grimaced while Krillin hissed at Yamcha, " _That's_ your theory?! C'mon—!"

"Uhhh, what're you guys talking about?" Goku inquired as he approached the group, curious.

Meanwhile, as the Z Warriors wondered out loud on the subject, the twin stars were behind them yards away by the stream. "How are you already worrying after everything we've accomplished today?" Piccolo teased as he helped her stand from her crouch.

"Ah, that's easy for you to say," she sighed, running her hand tensely through the length of her hair. "Goku is alive and can get busy like he was meant to have, but that came at the cost of his intended fate, so I gotta see if my next plan to fix that will work—"

"You're rambling," Piccolo murmured, sardonically smiling at her silly pout. "Give the machinations a rest for now and take solace in what was achieved today," he remarked coolly as he took her hand and pulled her towards him. Startled, Sofia caressed her hands up his arms when he placed his on her hips before circling them to cup the small of her back and hold her against his muscular frame. "There's something I've been meaning to tell you…"

"What's that?" she murmured, surprised by his cool, unbothered demeanor. Weighted clothing-free, his battle-worn gi was soft under her fingertips as she kneaded her hands up his chest.

Antennae vacillating slightly when he leaned close, Piccolo husked, "It's driving me nuts to admit it, but…I was a fool for worrying. I'm proud of you."

Eyes wide and gleaming up at him, Sofia's expression softened as he lowered to kiss her chastely on the lips. Just as he did, Krillin had rolled his eyes at something Yamcha was saying to Trunks and turned sidelong in time to see the very non-platonic gesture and froze. Balking with a startled, comically gaping expression, the former monk absently tapped on Tien's arm. When the triclops glanced down and followed his stare, all three eyes went wide as he too reached over and nudged the verbally rambling Yamcha. By the time the bombastic fighter had glanced over in peeved annoyance at being interrupted, he and Trunks caught the end of Piccolo kissing Sofia, seeing as she nuzzled his jaw and smiled at something he'd said to her while his arms were now affectionately circling and holding her against him.

"Uhhhh, what's up?" Goku goofily glanced at each fighter's shocked and awed expression before actually turning to see what had earned the reactions. From his vantage point, he turned and saw Piccolo and Sofia obviously canoodling. Humming at the sight, he was yet to realize the guys were flummoxed at witnessing the brooding Namekian warrior – and current Demon King – flirting with the fiery femme fatale so openly.

"W-what?" Yamcha balked before stammering, "Wait-wait-wait! What?!"

Thunderstruck, Tien stared while Chiaotzu went to hover at his side to also stare at the sight. "Am I misremembering that Piccolo is a Namekian, and is—"

"Asexual?! No, you're not," Krillin chortled in stupefaction as he scrubbed at his eyes as if he was seeing a mirage. "Wait, seriously?!" he whirled on Trunks, who was trying to inch away from the group of sputtering men, and exclaimed, "Sofia and Piccolo are seeing each other?! For real?"

Goku was guilelessly humming and scratching his head at the exchange while everyone else now seemed to hear the conversation and noticed what they were all freaking out about. Gohan peeked over the adults and saw Piccolo and Sofia talking, noticing their body language. Eyes widening in awe, he heard Trunks confirm reluctantly, "Well, yeah! But it wasn't my place to say anything. Can you guys stop staring? It's super awkward—"

While Yamcha, Krillin and Tien all flashed back at the fact that they'd ogled Sofia in her skimpy bikini and gotten cursed out by Piccolo, each grimaced in their own way at the recall and pictured what his ire would look like if they ever leered at her again as the others began to react to the commotion.

"What in heavens is this?! Piccolo has a girlfriend? Sofia and her fine-figured self is his dame?" Master Roshi shouted as he pushed the taller men aside and gaped at the sight while Ox King blinked in oafish wonder behind him. "Well I'll be damned. Guess there a lid for every pot after all…"

Freezing at the hullabaloo, Sofia glanced over and saw that everyone was gaping at them. Piccolo stiffened and stared sharply, beginning to lose his nerve at seeing all the incredulous gawks directed at them, when he saw Vegeta's smug look from where he stood next to Bulma at the picnic table while she and Chi-Chi began exchanging questions on if they'd known about the couple before then. Feeling him tense, Sofia went to pull away, but was surprised when he caressed his hand up her back before purposefully taking her hand in his and interlocking their fingers, giving a reassuring squeeze. Heart doing a summersault as she saw the loving, confident look in his onyx eyes, Sofia practically melted when he leaned affectionately against her with a silly nudge before loping with her at his side back towards the group.

Trunks was smiling when he saw how happy Sofia was by Piccolo's gesture, before tensing in second-hand embarrassment when Yamcha whined, "Are you kidding me?! Even Piccolo has a girlfriend and I don't?! What gives!?"

Face palming, Tien muttered, "Is it a wonder when you say shit like that?"

"C'mon! Give me a break here. This is a lot for me to process right now," the scar-faced fighter lamely scoffed while Gohan and Goku continued to stare in that patented, wide-eyed Son expression, as if in a daze by what they were seeing.

Replaying all the times Piccolo had been protective of Sofia and how he'd reacted when seeing Trunks hold her, everything instantly clicked for Krillin. "Holy crap. It actually makes sense, if you think about it. I guess we're guilty of making assumptions just because," he reasoned.

"You're really ok with this?" Sofia murmured to Piccolo, as they got close.

"I am. You've put up with a lot. No point in continuing the subterfuge," he muttered, but added telepathically, 'I love you, and I don't give a damn anymore. I want them to know.'

Practically beaming at that, Sofia was startled from dreamily staring up at him by Bulma and Chi-Chi, who practically pounced on her with questions as they came back to the picnic table. "Oh wow – how long have you been an item?!" they both shouted in unison.

"Are you all dense? It was obvious," Vegeta shot snidely at the group, annoyed by the drama of it all.

"You knew?!" Bulma whirled and snapped at him in a harried tone while she held a sleeping baby Trunks.

"Of course. Any moron could see it plainly," Vegeta drawled while some of the others glared at him, offended and consternated.

Goku, finally understanding what everyone was so flustered about, glanced around before blinking at Piccolo and Sofia. "Oh, is that it? You guys didn't know they were together?"

Now their turn to incredulously stare, Sofia and Piccolo balked as everyone – minus Vegeta – railed, "WHAT?!" at Goku.

"Goku, you knew?!" Chi-Chi exclaimed while Gohan was surprised as well.

Blinking innocently, Goku sincerely chirped, "Sure did!"

Tipping forward in shock, his harried wife was about to start railing at him when she stopped herself and cleared her throat, turning to the couple and exhaling a sobering breath before remarking congenially, "It's not our businesses, but I'm so happy for you both!"

Disarmed, Sofia and Piccolo stared at each other before glancing around at everyone, who were now relenting from their shocked demeanors to instead gain an air of joviality. As if she couldn't be more overwhelmed with joy, Gohan came up and hugged them both before exclaiming merrily, "I knew you two loved each other!"

Earning convivial reactions of laughs and smiles, the group toasted the couple. Piccolo broodingly took the congratulations while Sofia beamed at his side, causing him to reluctantly relent and smirk as everyone cheered.

As the celebration began to unwind, Master Roshi accepted a ride back to Kame House from Bulma, who said her goodbyes along with Trunks to the Sons before hugging Sofia and whispering in her ear, "You totally gotta tell me more about you and Piccolo next time!"

Giggling, Sofia winked in agreement as she went to hug Trunks and remarked, "I'll see you before you head back tomorrow."

"Cool. Have a good night, guys!" Trunks smiled and waved as he and Bulma headed to the jet.

Vegeta was standing coolly at the side of the jet's ramp, not interested in goodbyes, but when Sofia waved enthusiastically at him, the Saiyan rolled his eyes and relented, throwing up a casual gesture of farewell before walking up into the jet. Once the Briefs and Master Roshi were loaded on the jet, the aircraft took to the sky and zoomed up before blasting off due east.

Turning to the rest of the group that were wrapping up their goodbyes, Sofia saw Gohan had dozed off on the picnic table. Piccolo went over and picked up the young fighter, having offered to put him to bed so his parents could finish their goodnights to Ox King. Smiling at the sight, she wandered back just as Tien and Chiaotzu were beginning to say their farewells to the group.

"Heading off, you guys?" she remarked as she waltzed over to the faction of men.

"Yeah, it's time to hit the road, so to speak. Thanks for everything you've done to help during all this crazy must-prevent-world-annihilation time," Tien remarked sardonically while Chiaotzu nodded sweetly along.

"Uh, I'm pretty sure we can stow the thanks. After all, Sofia's officially part of the crew!" Krillin amiably remarked and grinned when she bashfully smiled.

"Seriously. You're one tough chick. It's nice to have some new blood among our squad," Yamcha remarked cockily as he put his arm around Sofia, as if she was just one of the guys.

"Awww, you guys are too nice," Sofia exclaimed wryly as she punched Yamcha platonically in the ribs, earning a wincing laugh from the scar-faced fighter while she cleared her throat after glancing around before conspiratorially leaning in towards them and whispering, "By the way, I'm sure you're all wondering, so I'll just tell you now: I'm totally into Piccolo. Anyone messes with him, and I'll crush them," pausing when they all sweatdropped and nervously laughed in reluctant understanding, she compounded her intense comment by adding slyly, "And, just so you know, he has a huge dick, and knows how to use it~!" Wiggling her eyebrows crassly at them, she beamingly grinned as she waltzed away; leaving them all mortified and shocked as she waved at them over her shoulder and purred, "See yah, fellas!"

"…Well now I've truly experienced more than I thought possible," Krillin goofily wheezed as he shook his befuddlement away.

While Yamcha continued trying to pick his jaw up off the floor, Tien coughed at Chiaotzu's asking, "What's she mean about knowing how to use it?"

"Seriously…I'm going to need an icepack for my head. All this has blown my mind," Yamcha finally muttered before adding, "And you know what the worst part is? I am still the reluctant bachelor of the crew!"

Eyes narrowing at him cynically, Tien muttered, "You are not—"

"Dude, we all know you and Launch have a weird, casual thing going on, so yeah – Piccolo and Sofia? Krillin and Android 18? I'm now the only single guy here!" Yamcha whined dramatically while Tien flinched at the mention of the volatile yet enthralling Launch.

"…I'm going to go say goodbye to Goku now," Tien declared stiffly as he marched over with Chaiotzu to do just that.

"Yeah, I'm gonna do that too…and as soon as I get to Kame House, I'm looking up Biology 101 to spruce up on some things…" Krillin remarked as he went over towards Chi-Chi and Goku with Tien.

Sighing dramatically, Yamcha sulked and did so too, muttering to himself begrudgingly the whole way.

Once everyone was gone, Sofia helped Chi-Chi clean up inside the house while Goku and Piccolo picked up the picnic table Bulma left and stored it in the barn for the time being. When they walked back to the front yard, Sofia marched at a sprint from the house right up to Goku and loomed over him, giving him a wily look as he blinked innocently at her before she declared, "Alright, now that everyone's gone, you gotta tell us how long you've known we were together! I mean, we went out of our ways to keep it on the down low, so spill it, Goku."

Tensely, Piccolo stared down at the other man, curious but also begrudged to know. "Oh, well it's actually kind of a funny story," the Saiyan smiled irreverently as he scratched the back of his head. "Remember that time around Chi-Chi and I's anniversary last year? We paused training and you said you'd let us spend a few days alone?" Goku remarked, and Sofia and Piccolo instantly froze, flinching as recollection struck them.

_*"—Goku, it's no biggie! Piccolo is off doing his solo training gig anyway, so I'll go exploring for a couple of days."_

" _Aww, but Chi-Chi and Gohan went shopping early to get a bunch of food for our anniversary dinner! You gotta be around for that," Goku pouted at her._

" _You mean you want me to bake that chocolate cake you like for dessert," she drawled knowingly, and when Goku giggled irreverently, she knew she'd guessed his motives. "Don't worry about it! When I get back, I'll make you a 4-tiered cake. You and Chi-Chi don't get to spend enough quality, sexy couple time together—"_

" _What's sex have to with our anniversary dinner though?" he'd remarked, causing Sofia to tip forward in mortified bewilderment._

" _For the love of god, Kakarot!" she'd harangued. "Just romance your wife, would yah! She puts up with a lot of crazy stuff, so use the weekend to make her feel special, got it?"_

" _Well, alright," Goku had conceded, so she'd taken the chance to grab her backpack and head off for her secret rendezvous._

_What she didn't know was that as soon as she'd left, Chi-Chi and Gohan had gotten back, and at hearing Sofia had left on account of some supposed romantic plan that Goku couldn't even articulate, the overbearing woman had snapped at Goku, "Ugh, I am not in the mood, Goku, so you might as well catch up with Sofia and tell her to come home! Poor thing is going to be sleeping in the wilderness on account of us and that's just silly."_

" _Oh, well, ok Chi-Chi, if you say so! I'll go try and catch up with her," Goku had smiled, happy to be off the hook of having to romance and woo to instead salivate over the thought of a 4-tiered chocolate cake. Unable to sense Sofia, he had to rely on his tracking abilities. He'd seen her take off due northwest, but hadn't seen her fly high in the sky, so he'd assumed she'd navigated along the treetops, 'Naruto-style', as she referred to it, so he did the same. Using his sense of smell, he picked up on her unique scent – a mix of spicy, warm citrus – and followed it to a secluded, lush pocket of jungle that was filled with fronds, moss and cool soil. He heard the roar of a waterfall in the distance, and could smell her scent heading in that same direction as he felt the misting of the cascading stream waft in the air over the breeze. Suddenly, he'd heard a loud splash over from the tall fronds in front of a series of vines, so he peeked over and noticed Sofia's clothes were laid out on the cool mossy plateau overlooking a deep pool of water in which the cascading waterfall poured down into._

_Realizing he was about to potentially see his friend naked, Goku turned and was about to sneak back the way he'd come, when he heard Sofia talking to someone._

"— _the water is so nice! Quit stalling and come in with me," she teased as she swam in the natural pool of fresh mountain water._

_Pausing, Goku heard a familiar voice respond, "Fine. But we're not spending all day swimming."_

_Hearing another splash, the Saiyan's naturally wide-eyed gaze snapped even wider. Awestruck, Goku had turned, snuck back to the fronds and carefully peered over. Through the vines, he could see down into the pool._

" _Oh? What else do you have in mind?" Sofia had purred in a smoky tone as she treaded water._

_Submerging to cut the distance between them, Piccolo surfaced in front of her and swam to circle her deliberately, musing, "Use your imagination."_

_Laughing, Sofia tossed her wet hair back as she spun in the water to follow his slow circling of her. "I have been, and I want you to show me what you've had in mind," she flirted, giving him a heated glance._

_Piccolo grunted at that and pulled her towards him in the water. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and legs around his waist, letting him tread water for the both of them as Sofia leaned in and nibbled playfully on his earlobe, getting an aroused hum from Piccolo. Swimming over to the flat, smooth incline of the pool that led to a mossy alcove just behind the cascading water, Piccolo carried Sofia and kissed along her throat as he took her and laid her down on the moss before nestling between her welcoming thighs._

_From his peeping vantage point, Goku clamped his hands over his mouth for fear of making a noise out of startled surprise to what he was witnessing. Seeing the outline of what clearly wasn't platonic love, Goku realized quickly where things were headed and dropped low behind the fronds, rushing in a duck walk away as stealthily as possible, concentrating on keeping his ki still cloaked. He comically froze when he heard Sofia gasp in excitement over the rushing waterfall cascade, and decided it was time to scramble and head out of there before he heard a lot more torrid stuff between the two.*_

"—so I told Chi-Chi I hadn't been able to catch up with you," Goku irreverently smiled as he leaned back on his heels and nervously stretched his hands behind his head. "I figured you guys were keeping it a secret, so I just kept it to myself," he added, leaving Sofia blushing and Piccolo irked that his once archrival had seen them in such a compromising position.

Sighing the tension away, Sofia shook off her embarrassment, focusing instead of how great of a friend Goku was to keep their secret without having to be told. "Well, it's a good thing Chi-Chi sent you and not Gohan to come look for me, right? Hahah-heh," she chuckled and paused when Piccolo scoffed, face palming as he shook his head with surly embarrassment.

Goku giggled at that. "Well, I think we're going to head in for the night. Gohan and I want to see Trunks off in the morning. If you guys need a place to crash, you're more than welcome to bed down here," the jovial fighter offered as Chi-Chi came out and curled up lovingly against his side.

"C'mon, Goku. It's time for bed," the raven-haired woman mused, batting her eyelashes at him in a way that signaled just what she planned to do in bed before actually sleeping.

"Goodnight, guys! See yah in the morning," Goku waved as he and Chi-Chi headed into the cottage.

Sofia leaned against Piccolo then and sighed contentedly. "They're totally gonna get it in," she chirped merrily as she sidled against him and giggled when he sweatdropped.

"…I just heard Chi-Chi ask him to 'go blond' for her," he rumbled, eye twitching at the implication.

"Really?!" Sofia lit up with delight, earning his prudish stare as he comically guided her away from the cottage out towards the sprawling yard. "I knew Goten was conceived via Super Saiyan sex!" she cheered giddily while Piccolo scoffed and shook his head at her.

"…Anyway, where are we spending the night? I'm not going to Capsule Corp," Piccolo remarked gruffly, giving her a playful look when she rolled her eyes and pressed flush against him. "We could sleep in the forest, under the stars," he mused as she stood on her tippy toes to hum thoughtfully at him before brushing her lips against his.

"After what Goku just told us? I think our days of frolicking in nature are over too, stud," she quipped. "Plus…I'm not planning on doing much sleeping tonight anyway," she bounced her brows provocatively at him. Piccolo huffed and shook his head sardonically at her as she glanced around for an idea. Spotting a certain edifice on the Son property, she hummed in thought before smiling and proposing, "Oh, I think I know just where we can crash for tonight," she paused when he grunted in question. Turning to gesture in the direction she was looking, she glanced up flirtatiously at him and purred, "You feeling limber?"

* * *

The cool night breeze blew across the valley and stirred the trees outside while the small lantern flickered softly, illuminating the cozy, modest hut's interior. The feudal-styled circular window gave a peek out at the starry night sky, just above the shadow of one of the far off mountain ranges. Red bodysuit and purple gi lying discarded on the ground across from his current position, Piccolo was pensive. Turning to stare up at the low ceiling in the small abode, indeed feeling cramped, he smiled though at the feeling of being at least warm and sated, with Sofia cuddled against his side next to him under the blanket.

"Alright, tell me what's on your mind?" Sofia murmured as she nuzzled him affectionately, trailing her hand along the vertical length of his side after draping her arm across his torso.

Exhaling musingly, Piccolo muttered, "Just thinking how I've accomplished some big goals: First, I killed Goku. And now, I've desecrated his childhood home and christened his bed."

Blinking at that rationale, Sofia suddenly burst into peels of laughter, burying her face against his shoulder before sitting up and staring impishly down at him. "You are a wicked, devious, and cunning fellow, arentcha," she drawled playfully, smiling when he pulled her down for a kiss.

"This bed is fucking cramped, so if you need me to move," he mused as he tried to adjust to lie in a way where his legs weren't dangling completely off the rustic mattress or forcing her to lean against the wooden framed canopy of the inset said mattress was fixed into.

"I'm fine," she mused, eyes gleaming beautifully at him under the dim light. "I never imagined we'd be bunking in Goku's grandpa's hut, but I don't find it all too bad."

"Hmph," he grunted, completely uncomfortable in his bent-kneed, arm folded behind his head position as he precariously leaned close to the edge of the bed. "We're—"

"Never doing this again. I know," she chimed knowingly, sighing as she lay back down to rest her head on his shoulder. "We'll have to find a place of our own eventually, babe."

Caressing her back languidly in gentle, trailing circles, he hummed in agreement.

"Are you coming with us to see Trunks off?" she inquired as she yawned.

"I have to go up to the Lookout. And anyway, I'm sure Trunks won't be as nervous to say his farewells to you if I'm not around," he mused offhandedly, feeling her relax against him.

"Hmmm, you did throttle him all caveman like that one time," she sleepily quipped, earning a grunt from him. "You do know he's just my friend, right? He told me so too and he apologized—"

"I know. It wasn't his fault. Who wouldn't be attracted to you," he admitted, without any umbrage and with complete sincerity. "You're too good for me…"

Stirred into keener awareness by that, Sofia leaned up to blink down at him. Seeing the self-deprecating angst cross his features for a split second before he stoically glanced up at her, Sofia's gaze softened. Caressing his cheek lovingly, she groused, "Piccolo, if you ever say anything that ridiculous again, I will strangle you." When he blinked goofily at that, she smiled serenely and whispered, "You've helped make me a better person. I'm stronger, smarter, and kinder because of you. Everything that means something to me has come into my life because I fell in love with you. So," she paused as she leaned down and murmured, "You _are_ good for me. And I'd like to think I'm the same for you. I love you."

His heart swelled with pride at that, eyes softening as he leaned up and kissed her with a burning yearning stoked by all the emotions of belonging and hopefulness she instilled in him with her unbridled love. Wrapping his arms around her, he tried to roll them so he could get on top of her, but accidentally pinned her hair under his forearm, tangled in the blanket around their maneuvering forms, and bumped into the wall as he also accidentally jammed his knee against the wooden frame of the bed. "Fuck—sorry," he groused as he tried to maneuver to be between her legs while she giggled at the silliness of trying to have sex in the cramped bed yet again.

"Wait, let's do what we did before," she cajoled tenderly as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pivoted so she could slink onto his lap as he leaned back on his shins. "Mmm, ok, this might work though too," she purred when he cupped her backside and hoisted her against him – lifting her too high and causing her to bang her head into the top of the bed canopy. "Ow!"

"Shit, sorry!" He growled in exasperation at himself as he pulled her down to straddle his lap. "This is pathetic—"

"Oh c'mon! It's not," she assured patiently, sultrily adding, "I want you, Piccolo. Right now. What're you gonna do about it?"

His cock twitched, throbbing wantonly against her as he growled impatiently and maneuvered her to shift so he could sit at the side of the bed while she straddled his lap as they kissed wantonly. Her fingers caressed up his ears as she deepened the kiss, earning a strangled shudder and growl from him. Undulating her lap against his, she hummed and clutched at his chest before trailing her warm, seductive mouth to lick at his right earlobe before biting it and worrying the flesh tenderly with her blunt front teeth. Piccolo hoarsely huffed at the sensation combined with her rubbing her hypersensitive flesh against his engorged erection. When she pushed him down to lie on his back, Piccolo leaned too far and bumped his head against the wall.

"…Dammit," he huffed when Sofia froze in horror before she could begin riding his cock. "I'm ok…don't stop," he grumbled in a terse, embarrassed tone.

Sofia couldn't help but giggle as she reached for him to sit up so he could scoot back more on the bed and she could grind down on him, pressing his throbbing sex into her quivering, tight sheath. Gasping, she clutched at his shoulders as he bucked up into her warmth, groaning as they set a hot, deep, thrusting pace in their lovemaking and managed not to bang into anything else. Arching against him, she cried out when he possessively gripped her waist and set the rhythm of his thrusting hips before pulling her to press down flush against his lap. His throbbing shaft was buried deep in her core as he licked her lips while her hands gripped his shoulders and her nails pinched into his thick skin.

The lantern flickered lower as the fuel began to run out, leaving her glowing crimson eyes to passionately stare into his onyx spheres as he buried one hand in the back of her hair and tilted her head sidelong so he could kiss up her throat while she rubbed her body eagerly against his sculpted, warm muscles. The friction of his body was causing her core to quiver and tremble, tightening wantonly around his shaft. He groaned against her neck as he suddenly changed their positions into the one they'd tried the first romp around. Lying on their sides with his back facing the wall, Piccolo pulled her legs to wrap around his waist as he kissed her and began thrusting with piston like strokes of his cock in and out of her tight sheath. His hands gripped her to him while she nuzzled the crook of his shoulder and muffled her cries of pleasure. In this position, he could use the bedframe to his advantage; bracing his foot against the wooden post, he could pivot his thrusts at an angle that provided them both amazing gratification while keeping his momentum without banging either of them into anything else.

When Sofia tensed in his arms and whimpered his name, her body grew taut and clenched around his throbbing shaft, clutching possessively until he too went over the brink into a blissful orgasm. He wrapped his arms around her and groaned, panting as he nuzzled her.

Recovering from her fulfilling moment of ecstasy, she hummed in sated contentment as her body tingled at feeling his release fill her core, while he hummed exhaustedly against her skin, antennae caressing her forehead when he shifted in order to kiss her.

"See?" she murmured against his cheek. "Where there's a will, there's away," she sighed affectionately, kissing him when he grunted wryly at that.

Lovingly caressing her warm form and keeping her pressed flush against him, he husked, "It would've been easier if I'd bent you over that table."

"Mmm," she hummed amusedly at that. "We still have 'morrow morning to do that…"

Smirking as his large, warm hands caressed her curves soothingly, Piccolo gazed debonairly at her content expression as he purred, "Sounds like a plan."


	16. Deserving Respite

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A nice, fluffy chapter filled with hope and silliness! If anyone is interested in the playlist mentioned, let me know~!

"Speech" 'Telepathy' _Thought_ _*Reminiscing*_

The cool summer day was crisp as the sun shone down over the West Capital. Everyone had begun to gather to see Trunks off in the sprawling courtyard in front of the Capsule Corporation's headquarters dome. Master Roshi, Yamcha and Krillin had arrived first, greeting Bulma and her family while Trunks made the final preparations to his time machine. The idle chatter shifted to filling Trunks in on what had immediately happened after Cell had fatally wounded him – a topic that had not come up during the impromptu celebration at Goku's the night before.

"…My father did that?!" the lavender-haired fighter inquired in disbelief.

"Yeah! Vegeta went absolutely berserk and attacked Cell with everything he had. It was a side of him I've never seen," Yamcha assured while Krillin nodded along. Bulma was standing within earshot of the boys filling Trunks in, and at hearing what Vegeta had done, her heart swelled as she cuddled a fussy baby Trunks in her arms and glanced off to where she knew Vegeta was antisocially hiding out, just across the yard, behind a large tree he was leaning against with his arms crossed.

"And then, Sofia went ballistic—" Krillin began when Goku and Gohan suddenly appeared in the middle of the yard. "Goku!"

"Hey guys! Sorry we're late," the jovial fighter remarked as he and Gohan approached to greet everyone.

"Not at all. You made it just in time," the fighter from the future mused, hair cut to the shorter style he'd sported when he'd first arrived to their timeline. Everyone was dressed casually to see Trunks off, including the father-son duo. "Oh, Sofia didn't come along?" Trunks inquired, realizing the enigmatic woman hadn't arrived yet.

"Huh? Sofia left ahead of us," Goku remarked, glancing around while Gohan scratched his head in confusion as his father added, "She said she had something to do first—"

"Yo!" Turning at the excited shout, everyone watched as Sofia sprinted over from around the back of the large building.

Master Roshi grinned in his comical, lecherous fashion as his sunglass-covered eyes fixated on her generous bust bouncing in time with her rushing gait. The formfitting motto jeans were snugly tucked into the orange Capsule Corp-styled boots, while the white crochet crop top and lime green mesh shirt over it clung to her torso in all the right ways, leaving the pervy master to release the steam from his collar as he fretted, "My oh my, Piccolo is one lucky Namekian…"

Goku giggled at the comment while Trunks sweatdropped as the others exchanged different amused reactions.

"Jeez, sorry! I got here a while ago, but had a hard time finding my laptop. I spent a good part of the morning looking all over for it before I found it down in the lab—" Sofia had stated in a silly ramble as she skid to a halt and smiled at everyone.

Tensing nervously from where she stood, Mrs. Briefs piped up, "Oh, that was my fault! I found it and thought it needed to be plugged in downstairs to charge." The usually ditzy blonde failed to mention that by plugging in to charge, she meant she first erroneously linked the laptop to the Capsule Corporation mainframe and had accidentally copied over the contents of the hard drive to be mass-uploaded to the Capsule Corporation global server. It wasn't until Dr. Briefs had gaped at the massive library of content that was now accessible to the public that he helped his wife find the correct charging port for the laptop.

"Yeah…our bad there," Dr. Briefs chuckled dryly as he patted his wife's shoulder reassuringly.

"Ah, no biggie! I had enough time to make what I needed," Sofia waved off their apologies and smiled at Trunks as she fished something from her jean pocket and offered it to him. "Here, this is for you. Just a farewell gift," she remarked as she handed Trunks the capsule. Blinking down at the offering, he was about to ask her what was in it, when Sofia winked at him and whispered, "Just some stuff to make your timeline a little less gloomy."

Smiling with genuine affability, Trunks pocketed the capsule. "Thanks, Sofia."

Grinning beamingly at him, she tossed her arms around him and gave him a bear hug, disarming the powerful warrior to stiffly wheeze as she lifted him off his feet and squeezed him while chirping, "You're welcome!"

Everyone laughed amiably at the display, relishing the moment of levity before Trunks finalized his preparations and loaded the time machine with the last of the supplies Bulma had insisted he take back to his own time. Handing baby Trunks over to her mother, the sea foam-haired genius hugged her son from the future one last time. "I'm so proud of you, Trunks. Now, go back and make your time a better place," she gushed.

"I will, mom. Thanks for all the help," Trunks remarked warmly before turning to the others to shake hands and give his final farewells.

"You've been a lifesaver – literally, Trunks! I don't know how I can thank you," Goku affably remarked as he shook the younger fighter's hand.

"You just did, Goku," Trunks chuckled sardonically, earning a giggle from Goku while Gohan shook Trunks' hand.

Smiling, he turned to Sofia, whose crimson eyes were twinkling beautifully as she smiled serenely at him. Sofia expected him to shake her hand, so when she extended her palm and Trunks pulled her in for a platonic hug instead, she snickered and returned his hug. "I meant it what I said, you know. Thanks for being so amazing," she mused with genuine feeling.

Pulling back from the hug, Trunks surprised her yet again by playfully punching her on the shoulder. "You too," he snickered before whispering in a silly, conspiratorial drawl, "And thanks for being my first kiss. Incurring Piccolo's wrath was totally worth it."

While Yamcha and Master Roshi gaped at the admittance as Goku and Krillin exchanged goofy looks of surprise and Gohan hummed in wonder, Sofia guffawed at Trunks' remark, punching him platonically on the arm for that as she grinned, "Oooo, I'm gonna tell him you said that~!"

"Well, good thing I'll be in the future by then," he joked right back, not catching Yamcha wheezing to Krillin how he 'd totally called it, causing the former monk to sardonically shake his head. Turning to say goodbye to his grandparents, Trunks caught sight of Vegeta once the mercurial prince had emerged from the other side of the tree he'd been loitering behind to give his future son a sidelong stare. "Bye, Dad." Vegeta offered him only a curt, yet casual gesture of Sayonara; raising his fore and middle fingers up in some kind of farewell salute, which Trunks mimicked in return before hopping up into the time machine and lowering the carapace. Initiating his lift sequence, the time machine began to ascend from the courtyard as he piloted it up to the sky. "Bye, everyone!"

Waving enthusiastically, everyone shouted their goodbyes up to him and watched as the time machine glowed before winking out of sight.

* * *

After Trunks had departed back to his timeline, everyone milled around casually for a short while before choosing to head home themselves; looking to rest after a hard fought battle. Goku and Gohan had headed back to Mt. Paozu to spend quality time with Chi-Chi while Sofia had delivered the news to the Briefs that she'd be leaving their ample, accommodation-rich abode as well. Vegeta had sniped that she still owed him several meals before stalking off in a snit, earning a wry giggle from Sofia and humorous reactions from the unfazed in-laws. Having come to her temporary quarters to pack, Bulma took the chance to get the dish from Sofia, relishing the fact that her friend seemingly had just as much of a tempestuous love connection with Piccolo as she did with Vegeta.

"Ah! I had no idea—so he kissed you? Well, I wonder if this Trunks is gonna become a romantic too," Bulma comically stared at the blue-eyed tyke that was sternly wiggling in her lap, beckoning to be let down.

"Hah. Yeah…I hadn't even realized what was up until he laid one on me – just as Piccolo had come by to hash stuff out with me. It was _not_ a good time. Actually, it was pretty mortifying! But I was so furious with Piccolo…Sigh. Anyway, that's all water under the bridge now," Sofia remarked. "Trunks is such an awesome, badass dude. I know he'll find someone deserving of him in his own time."

Bulma sat at the divan chair, keeping an eye on Trunks as the precocious tyke made his way along the floor after she relented and put him down. As the babe looked for a way to perch himself up on his two chubby legs to attempt walking again and reach the bed where Scratch, the little black cat, was currently rolling delightfully around, looking for pets while Sofia packed her laptop and stray belongings into capsules. Placing them in her trusty small backpack, she tossed it aside before showering the adorable black cat with head rubs as she and the Capsule Corp. heiress chatted. The patio door was open, providing a crisp breeze through the closed vertical blinds as the tranquil afternoon advanced outside. Bulma thought about how refreshing it was to have girl talk. Even though Sofia was much younger, she had the same temperament about things as she, where Chi-Chi was more reserved and prudish. Plus, the overbearing daughter of the Ox King was married to Goku, the most lovably affable, albeit dense, man she'd ever known. The Saiyan was not a source of torrid angst, after all. She and Sofia could relate to having relationships with former foes of Goku's too: each a powerhouse of terror in their own right back when they were dangerous villains hell-bent on destroying the jovial warrior. Sofia had filled the genius in on her relationship; giving her the same explanation she'd given Vegeta days before. Getting an inside look on how even Demon King Piccolo could be a debonair-yet-stubborn lover gave her hope for her own love life as it related to the infuriating-yet-gallant Saiyan Prince.

"You know, I just realized something," Bulma mused, quipping when Sofia hummed for her to continue, "Mom called it: She did say you and Piccolo were an item the first time we met, remember?"

Eyes going wide from the recall, Sofia gasped, "Holy crap, you're right!" She remembered how Piccolo had practically seethed at the suggestion of she being his girlfriend. "Damn, that's trippy, hahaha."

"By the way, you can stay here whenever you need to. There's no reason for you to rush off—"

"Ah, I appreciate that, Bulma. But Piccolo and I really want to find a place of our own," Sofia assured as she sat on the bed and smiled warmly.

"Well you two can stay here any time," Bulma reassured. "But then again, Piccolo's always been an even bigger loner than Vegeta, so he probably doesn't like being in such a bustling place."

Reclining along the foot of the bed to cajole Trunks to walk over to her as the little black cat loped further out of the baby's reach, Sofia remarked affably, "Yeah, he's a surly grump and hated getting hot and heavy here—"

"Oh?" Bulma inquired, blue eyes lighting up as she leaned forward in her seat, fascinated. "You still gotta tell me how that's even possible. I'm soooo curious!"

Snickering, Sofia pined as hearts materialized comically around her at the fantasy that sprung in her mind of Piccolo whisking her up into his arms debonairly. "Well, he was asexual up until I totally seduced him and canceled out his asexual reproduction when we were training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber three years ago. My guess has been that Namekians weren't _always_ asexual, but perhaps after the calamity that occurred on Namek, or maybe even before that, females died out, and forced Namekians to transition into asexual beings so they could still reproduce?" Sofia theorized as she held her hands out to Trunks so the tyke could amble over to her. Catching him before he fell, she lifted him up and playfully tickled him, earning belly laughs from the cute demi-Saiyan as she added, "But yeah – he's anatomically _well endowed_ , and – whew, does he know how to rock my world~!" She bounced her brows goofily. "Oh, and fun fact: Chocolate is a total aphrodisiac for him. I once shared a piece of chocolate with him, and he got so turned on, he couldn't keep his hands off me for the whole night," she dreamily sighed at the memory before giggling naughtily at the admittance. "He'd totally kill me for saying anything, so this stays between us!"

Bulma snickered along with her. "Your secret's safe with me!" she chuckled. "So then I can expect a little playmate for Trunks sometime soon?" the blue-eyed scientific maven inquired in a teasing tone, laughing when Sofia comically froze and glanced at Trunks, who babbled adorably and clapped his hands as if he understood the conversation.

"Uhhhh, technically yes, but it _won't_ be from me!" Sofia piped comically before whispering to Trunks, "Your partner-in-crime is due around a year from now, little buddy." When Bulma seemed to be ready to pepper her with more invasive, personal questions, Sofia inquired instead, "So you and Vegeta hooked up in the old gravity chamber night of the party, eh?"

Blushing slightly, Bulma offhandedly remarked, "That's nothing new—"

"Ah, c'mon! Tell me a juicy detail? He is soooo tight-lipped about it!" Sofia prodded cheekily. "I'm soooo intrigued – have you guys ever done it while he was in Super Saiyan mode? Chi-Chi and Goku totally did that last night—"

"Really?! Huh…maybe that's something we can try," Bulma pondered the notion. "I'm sure if we did that, in order to mind his strength, I'd have to be on top—"

The vertical blinds were slapped aside suddenly as Vegeta stormed through them in a vexed rush and barked, "Enough—! No more discussing such things, you lascivious perverts!"

Bulma practically fell off of the divan in a mortified dive to the floor while Sofia fell backwards on the bed, with Trunks held up stiffly in her arms while Scratch screeched and ran out of the room. The baby giggled and cheered at seeing Vegeta's consternated expression, temper vein throbbing at his temple while his cheeks were slightly tinted with a mortified blush at having been listening in on the women's chatter out from the patio railing.

"Vegeta!" Bulma shrieked, jumping up and slapping the man's arm admonishingly as she sneered, "You scared the hell out of me! How long have you been eavesdropping, you nosy jerk—!?"

"Long enough to hear you two prattle on—" he began to bark when Sofia sat up dramatically and leveled him with a comical glare.

"That's what you get for listening in on things you got no business spying on," she shot snidely, quirking an eyebrow in recrimination and reminder of how he'd listened to her and Piccolo only a few night's before.

Scoffing, Vegeta crossed his arms and huffed, "My sexual exploits _are_ my business—"

"Uh, hello?! Last time I checked, you weren't getting busy with yourself, buster! Just because you're a prude doesn't mean I have to be," Bulma shot acerbically at him, earning a sweatdrop from the Saiyan who sputtered at the suggestion that she gossiped about their sexual activities to others any chance she could.

"…Just for that, I expect to 'get busy' later on tonight, woman. It's the least you can do if you intend to air our dirty laundry…" Vegeta sulked in a surly grumble, while Sofia grinned impishly at the exchange as baby Trunks looked between his mother and father with bemused wonder.

"Hmph! As if…" Bulma turned her nose up at the suggestion, but glanced sidelong at him with a seductive gleam in her eye that made Vegeta broodingly cross his arms tighter and exhale bashfully.

"D'aaaaaw, aren't they the most romantical thing you've ever seen, buddy?" Sofia chuckled to baby Trunks, holding him close as if she was telling him a secret to muse, "You're gonna be a real heartbreaker too, right?" The baby giggled excitedly, patting her cheeks affectionately with his chubby hands before leaning forward and giving her a sloppy baby kiss on the lips and laughing more from Sofia's surprised expression. Vegeta actually smirked at the display while Bulma gushed at how adorable that was as Sofia blinked at the tyke and giggled with comical tenderness, "Oooo, I'm gonna tell Piccolo you did that~!"

* * *

"Achoo!" Piccolo sneezed suddenly, looking around for what could've possibly caused his allergy.

'You know, they say a sudden sneeze like that is a telltale sign someone was talking about you,' Nail chimed.

'Feh, that sounds like something dumb and made up—'

'Actually, Piccolo, it is an old superstition that if one sneezes once, that someone is talking about them—praising them, more specifically. Perhaps you're being spoken of highly,' Kami posited congenially, to his younger half's annoyance.

Rolling his eyes, Piccolo thought the notion was silly. 'Just help me explain to Dende how to do this, old man.'

Before he'd departed from Goku's early in the morning, he and Sofia had discussed her plan of action after seeing Trunks off and leaving Capsule Corporation. He wanted to ensure he'd be able to help Dende complete the particular errand that would help the young guardian navigate the Lookout and the magical palace within so he could return to Mt. Paozu. It was also quite an undertaking – a huge favor that he wanted to see through. Kami was helping him relay the knowledge to the new guardian, annoying him with idle suggestions and improvements along the way. While Mr. Popo set out to search for certain items to aid in the project, Kami instructed and kept peppering in other comments and ideas as if he was the one conversing with Dende, to Piccolo's chagrin.

'Ugh, is this how it's always gonna be as long as I'm up here teaching Dende?' he snidely complained. 'This isn't even my job—'

'Well, we're one being now, so yes – this is technically your job, and it would behoove you to take a bit more serious. Dende will be a wonderful, dutiful guardian, but it will be an immense benefit to bestow as much of my knowledge down to him as I can. And that means you putting aside your spite and working with me, Piccolo,' Kami sternly huffed.

'Seriously. How are you even complaining? Not like you woke up on the wrong side of bed after all that fornicating—' Nail quipped.

'How the hell would you know about it, Nail,' Piccolo cut in sharply. After all, he'd learned to erect his privacy barrier so the other two Namekians didn't get a salacious show when he and Sofia made love.

'Uh, just because we don't see it doesn't mean we don't _know_ when it's happening,' Nail snickered, chuckling when Piccolo huffed in perturbed embarrassment. 'A chunk of last night AND this morning? What do you have to complain about, pray tell? Just humor Kami and be a good sport about it!'

Grumbling, Piccolo muttered, '…Fine.'

* * *

What a whirlwind! I still couldn't believe everything that had happened, nor fully wrap my head around my involvement in things having worked out for the best. Sure, the timeline was slightly off now that Goku was wished back, but I had an idea about how to handle that—

Before I get ahead of myself though, I should tell you what happened after Trunks headed back to his future!

Piccolo and I had agreed to put looking for our own place on hold until he could help Dende settle into being the new guardian, and in the meantime, I'd hang around Mt. Paozu and help mitigate any of the weirdness that could crop up from Goku being alive and well. A few days after having celebrated Goku's return and victory against Cell, we'd all been settling into the peacetime living when Chi-Chi had rushed outside from the house, looking flustered.

Goku was training me in the art of Instant Transmission – something he'd agreed to do after I'd asked him why he'd not ever taught it to anyone else just a couple days prior. You gotta love the guy, cuz his wide-eyed, guileless answer had been, "Huh, I guess since no one ever asked me to, I kind of never thought to!" I'd teetered to the side at the rationale, but then laughed because of COURSE that made sense. We were talking about Son Goku, here. Anyway, I'd managed to blink out a few yards at a time over the course of the days of training, and he'd been in the middle of explaining how he'd pinpoint a power level over a vast distance to hone the ki fission required to teleport yourself as quickly as a light beam, when Chi-Chi rushed over to interrupt. Gohan had tossed his book of Calculus aside and ran over from under the tree he'd been sitting and studying when he heard his mother call out to Goku.

"Mom, is something wrong?" the demi-Saiyan asked as Goku and I rushed across the yard towards them.

"Well, no, but—" Chi-Chi was a bit nervous, albeit silly, in how she was wringing the cuff of a sleeve before she took a cleansing breath and smiled down at her first born. "Everything's ok, sweetheart."

"So why do you look flushed, Chi-Chi? Oh, are you feeling ok?!" Goku remarked with genuine concern as he comically took her temperature, earning a sweatdrop from her.

"I am a bit queasy…Goku, I have a surprise—"

"Oooo, is it cake?" Goku squealed excitedly, and all I could do was facepalm and stifle a laugh as he continued, "Oh-oh, don't tell me: it's chocolate cake—"

"Goku! It's not cake," Chi-Chi barked and hurriedly blurted, "I'm pregnant!"

Gohan and Goku both froze before exchanging dual glances of wide-eyed wonder while Chi-Chi blushed. I smiled broadly as Gohan piped, "I'm going to be a big brother?"

"I'm going to be a dad again?" Goku chirped, eyes gleaming happily when Chi-Chi smiled and nodded vigorously.

Father and son erupted in boisterous cheers, hugging Chi-Chi lovingly and earning happy tears from the usually tough woman.

My heart brimmed over with joy at the sight. It'd been what I'd hoped for secretly for days, and now that things were somewhat officially back on track – timeline wise – I could breathe a sigh of relief. "Congratulations!" I shouted and hugged my friends, adoring them and grateful that the next chapter of the Son family's life was about to begin.

However, there was still the matter about Goku being on Earth versus in Otherworld, where he was supposed to be for 7 years training on Grand Kai's planet before his day pass to come back to Earth for the World Martial Arts Tournament – aka, the day that Majin Buu would be freed from his confinement by Babidi.

After dinner that night, I'd decided I couldn't postpone things any longer. I sat the Sons down in the living room. Once I'd taken a sobering breath, I leveled with them. "Goku, there's something I've been meaning to tell you. It affects you all, so it's only fair I be straight about it," I began, staring into my friend's open gaze as I told him the truth. "While you were supposed to die at the Cell Games, you weren't meant to be wished back…technically, you're supposed to have stayed dead for the next 7 years," I paused when I watched his open expression sober while Chi-Chi's eyes went wide and Gohan stiffened at the reality of what I was saying. "I can't get into the specifics, but you _also_ were meant to have done something very important before you died, and you hadn't. You have _now_ …" I winked conspiratorially, "So what happens next is pretty crucial to truly keep events in this timeline from diverging further. In order to do that, you need to go to Otherworld and train."

"…Are you saying I need to die?" Goku asked, bemused.

Chi-Chi hiccupped a gasp, and was about to begin wailing when I flailed my arms and insistently reassured, "Hell no! So I actually put a LOT of thought into this, and there's a way to keep events in this timeline intact without you having to die. It's going to require some sacrifices, so that's why I'm telling all of you."

"What kind of sacrifices?" Gohan inquired, now mirroring Goku's expression of bemusement.

"Well, mainly, your dad's not going to be around much these next 7 years. I know you don't want to hear this, Chi-Chi—"

"What else is new?" Chi-Chi mused, taking me off-guard as she huffily muttered, "I've spent the last several years practically as a single mom while he gallivanted around training and across space and DEAD, so I don't think it'll be that big of an adjustment."

I facefaulted to the ground at that while Goku goofily laughed and scratched the back of his head as he piped, "You got me there, hun!"

Gohan sweatdropped, but shook his head ruefully. "So how is Dad going to be able to train in Otherworld?!"

Recovering, I sat back down and leaned forward. "I got that covered!"

* * *

King Kai was currently waxing the fender of his beloved convertible on his restored planet, humming a tune off key in his nasally register as Bubbles relaxed in the lounge chair underneath the tree in the yard, snoring away while Gregory twiddled away on a piece of grass. It was a day of serenity for the trio; free of any of the chaos they always found themselves in when Goku was around.

The Kai sighed wistfully after staring over at his handy work and watching pleasantly as his prized car gleamed in the light, when suddenly a pair of tall figures blinked in the path of his gaze.

"Hey King Kai!"

Falling backwards, the blue-skinned Kai whined, "There goes the peace and quiet…"

"Sorry to just show up, but there's some unfinished business we need to hash out."

When he heard the familiar feminine voice, King Kai hopped up and saw the tall, enigmatic woman with the red eyes that Goku and the other warriors from Earth had befriended.

"Oh! You brought company, Goku," the short Kai rushed over and greeted Sofia. "It's so nice to finally meet you, officially!"

"Hahah! I know." She shook the Kai's hand before bowing in deference. "I'm so happy the plan worked! Thanks for helping make it happen, King Kai."

"D'awww, you're too kind. It was nothing," the Kai snorted goofily before clearing his throat and getting down to business. "Now, I assume you'll share the second part of the plan with us now?"

"Yep!" Sofia replied and threw her arm around Goku in order to pull him into a side hug. "Goku here was meant to bite the big one and stay dead, but now that he and Chi-Chi conceived their next child—" King Kai flinched comically at the candor of her statement, while Goku sheepishly giggled, but Sofia pressed on, "He needs to get back to the course of events as they're meant to play out. For the next 7 years, Goku's gotta train in Otherworld, on Grand Kai's planet. That's where that Otherworld Access Pass comes in!"

"Whoa…you mean that's what King Kai used the 3rd wish for?" Goku inquired.

"That's right! Sofia had a pretty ingenious idea with that one, and the fact Porunga granted the request means it will work," King Kai remarked as he dug into his robe's pocket and fished out a goofy-looking laminated ID badge with Goku's startled, wide-eyed expression printed in the square image on the top left. Emblazoned on the badge was 'OTHERWORLD ACCESS PASS', and in the bottom right was Grand Kai's signature. Handing it to Sofia, she marveled at the ID while Goku hummed in wonder as he looked down at it. "With that, you can travel to Otherworld and train as a living mortal without actually being a spirit who's gained his body. You have to keep it on at all times that you're there, but you can take it off and travel back to Earth!"

"Whooooooaaaa," Goku and Sofia marveled in unison before laughing.

"Goku _does_ have the tendency to rub off on people…" King Kai drawled, adjusting his sunglasses while Goku giggled and Sofia blew a raspberry.

"Ok, so let's pin this on," Sofia mused as she turned and clipped the badge onto Goku's gi, just above the insignia, and instantly, the badge camouflaged into the orange gi and a platinum halo appeared over Goku's head. "Wow, so cool!" she exclaimed, staring up at the glowing halo in wonder from seeing one for the first time in person.

Glancing up as he bopped his head from side to side, Goku whistled in astonishment before tentatively reaching up and poking at the halo. It rippled when his finger tapped it, as if it was a hologram. "Neat! So this makes it easier to not stand out. Will I get in trouble if people find out though?"

"Technically no, as Otherworld is not just a place for spirits who've passed on to go to. Kais and other divine beings can come and go as well, and if you remember, my planet is at the end of Snake's Way, and with Instant Transmission, you've been able to come here as a living being," King Kai reasoned, "So I don't foresee any issues. It's just good to have the pass in case some of my jerk fellow Kai's start griping."

"Other Kais?!" Goku marveled.

"Let's not get ahead of things," Sofia gestured affably as she redirected the conversation. "You guys will need to go to Grand Kai's planet soon and get Goku started on his training," she remarked before turning to her friend and reassuringly squeezing his shoulder. "I'll pop in from time to time to check on things, but maybe in 9 months, you can take a sabbatical and come home?"

"That sounds like a plan," Goku smiled and nodded, while King Kai dubiously raised a brow.

"Pop in, you say?" the Northern Kai inquired.

"Oh, yeah!" Sofia chimed as she raised her fore and middle finger to her forehead and teleported out of sight for a second, before reappearing next to King Kai, startling him. "Goku taught me Instant Transmission! Now that I have a lock on your ki signature, I can teleport up to you if there's ever an emergency. I hope that's ok!"

"You taught her Instant Transmission?" King Kai mumbled as an aside to Goku. "It's only been, what, less than a week since the tournament? How were you able to teach her such a taxing technique in so little time?"

"Heh-heh-heh, she's a natural!" Goku offered jovially, crossing his arms and smiling at his friend as he remarked, "While you're here, you should do some training!"

"Training?! We don't have the time, Goku—" King Kai began to protest when Sofia suddenly phased in and bowed enthusiastically.

"Please? It won't take too long, I promise!" Sofia petitioned, crimson eyes twinkling hopefully, as this was a complete Z Warrior rite of passage she wanted to be part of.

"Well, you know the rules. Before I agree to train you, I have to assess your comedic chops. Tell me a joke that'll make me laugh, and I'll take you on as a trainee," King Kai retorted in a sagacious manner.

Goku watched with anticipation as Sofia stood straight and cleared her throat, composing herself. Exhaling, she posed in a very dramatic way and pointed at King Kai, who froze at the intensity of her gaze as she asked, "Where does Piccolo go when he wants to relax?!"

Stunned, King Kai wracked his brain, trying to come up with the punch line, but only stammered until giving up and saying, "Uh, where?"

A twinkle gleaming in her eye, Sofia smirked. "Planet Hammock!"

Startled, King Kai stepped backwards, as if the punch line literally hit him, before bursting into snorts and chortling laughter. Amazed, Goku stood in comical shock at the lame, puny joke, before he too shrugged and laughed.

"I'm not done! Why did Vegeta leave the beach before going into the water?" she asked, grinning when they both recovered and shook their heads, indicating they didn't know the answer. "Because he forgot Trunks!"

That one earned guffaws of laughter from the two men, who began to roll on the ground at the absurdity. Gregory and Bubbles ambled over to see what the commotion was about, watching Goku and King Kai laugh ridiculously while Sofia stood proudly, lips pursed in victory.

"Alright, one more!" she declared, even though King Kai already had laugh tears in his sunglass-covered eyes. "Where does Krillin backup his important files?" she paused for dramatic emphasis. "On a Destructo disc!"

Goku sobered and scratched his chin in thought, but King Kai laughed and began slapping his knee in raucous humor. "Uh, I don't get it," the jovial, dense fighter remarked, earning a giggle from Sofia.

"Sorry, Goku. It was a lame one," she conceded, not wanting to tease him for not getting the pun due to his lack of ever touching a computer. "Anyway, time to catch Bubbles!" she remarked before turning purposely and locking eyes with the ape, who balked before rushing into a sprint in the opposite direction with Sofia hot on his trail. She barely registered the increased gravity on the small planet after so many years of weight training, so her speed wasn't affected at all as she broke out into a sprint behind the crafty ape. _This is so surreal and awesome!_ She thought as she ran after Bubbles and surveyed the small, wonderful planet. Making an entire trek around the small planet, she appeared on the one road coming up the drive with Bubbles pinned to her side. King Kai was astonished, and felt a sense of déjà vu before realizing it was the exact same way Piccolo had walked up to him after capturing Bubbles. Placing the ape down, she shook his hand. "That was fun!" Turning, she made comical grabby hands as she sing sung, "Mallet time~!"

Still hovering where he was, Gregory blanched and gulped before King Kai humorously materialized the giant mallet that dropped into Sofia's hands. Seeing the devilish grin on her features, the grasshopper began to fluster as she rushed towards him. Just as Gregory revved to speed away, he only managed to zip across several yards before getting shocked to see Sofia anticipated his course and appear in front of him. Driving the mallet down precisely, Sofia paused and only comically bopped him gently on the head. Stunned, he innocently looked up at her, surprised that the zeal in her eyes was really exuberance. Tossing the mallet up to spin in the air before catching it effortlessly, Sofia cheered at accomplishing the pre-training trials and fist pumped before jumping up and down gleefully.

Goku chuckled merrily at the sight while King Kai snickered, "Guess I'll have to train this one too after all!"

* * *

Gohan was sitting in the middle of the living room half-paying attention to the new large flat screen TV. He was supposed to be studying while Chi-Chi was in the kitchen, but he was letting his mind wander. The international news report was discussing all of the reconstruction initiatives happening in areas Cell had caused havoc in, mentioning how Capsule Corporation would help oversee innovations in rural areas and help create alert systems for the next time another extraordinary villain threatened the Earth. As he let his thoughts idly drift on what would happen in this reconstruction period, Sofia suddenly appeared in the middle of the living room, standing over him on the coffee table. Jumping backwards to blink up at her with a wry look in his eyes, Gohan giggled when she froze and peered around.

"Whoops! I really gotta get better on honing in…" she absently chuckled, rushing off of the coffee table before Chi-Chi caught her.

"Haha, no biggie! How's Dad and King Kai?" Gohan inquired as he made room on the couch for Sofia to sit.

The phone rang in the next room, and Chi-Chi picked it up. They absently heard her greet Bulma on the other end while Sofia explained, "They're great! The Otherworld Access Pass worked and Goku will be training on Grand Kai's planet. With Instant Transmission, I can visit King Kai from time to time for training, but honestly I'll mostly just go up there to make sure your Dad doesn't space out and forget to come visit."

"Will that not affect the timeline?" Gohan asked. "I mean, I don't want to pry if you can't say—"

"Well technically the timeline has been slightly altered already, but long term, we're on the course. If you're dad had stayed dead, then he wouldn't have been able to visit Earth until 7 years from now, but as long as when he comes it's ONLY to spend time here, and doesn't participate in any other events, I don't think it'll do any harm," Sofia reasoned and smiled as she added, "After all, I think it'd be nice for him to be around to support your mom 9 months from now—"

"—I don't think that's necessary, Bulma! Well I don't owe that man any explanation about my family's comings and goings—what?! Ugh! Who do you think you are to speak to me that way!?" Chi-Chi's sudden harried harangue hit a tenor that Sofia and Gohan sweatdropped and looked over at the kitchen where she was currently fuming into the receiver, "I don't care if you are The Prince of Darkness! You might be able to boss everyone else around, but I WILL NOT abide your audacity, Vegeta!"

"Holy shit, what's up?!" Sofia hissed to herself as she rushed over to see if she could calm Chi-Chi down. Unfortunate in her fury, the raven-haired woman slammed the phone down and seethed, fire in her eyes as she whirled around on Sofia.

Skidding in her tracks, she expected to get yelled at, so she steeled herself. Chi-Chi realized the younger woman's demeanor shuttered in, so she reined her fury in and exhaled an exasperated huff. "I think we're going to have uninvited company today. Bulma phoned asking if Goku was off-world, because Vegeta rushed in to her lab saying he couldn't sense him on Earth anymore," Chi-Chi grumbled, crossing her arms tightly as she added, "I don't think it's my place to get into the details, but clearly they are just too entitled to respect boundaries!"

Expression softening, Sofia sighed and directed her friend into the living room to sit down and take a load off as she remarked, "I'm sorry about that. I can talk to them if they come by. You need to take care of yourself though! No stress. Gohan and I will help you so you're not single-mom'ing it by yourself, right?"

Gohan nodded vigorously. "That's right, Mom. Please don't worry about that stuff," the sweet pre-teen mused as he sat next to the usually harried woman and hugged her, a rare gesture that put Chi-Chi at ease.

"Oh, you're not my little baby anymore. You're becoming a kind man. I'm so proud of you, Gohan," she sniffled and kissed his forehead, earning a silly chuckle and easygoing smile from the demi-Saiyan.

Sofia's eyes welled up with happy tears and when Gohan gave her a teasing little smirk, she shook her head and muttered goofily, "I'm not crying, _you're_ crying!"

Mother and son laughed at that and calm was momentarily restored.

That is until a garish, special interview promo dazzled loudly from the TV, with the theatricality of an overly produced wrestling teaser. "TONIGHT, we have the World's Savior, the MAN, the HERO, and our ONLY Cell Games tournament CHAMPION: HERCULE SATAN, who will regale us with a live interview of how he defeated the evil Cell – don't miss it!" Drawing an awkward pause from the 3 in the living room, the flashy promo ended with video of Mr. Satan receiving a giant check with an eight-figure number endorsed to him, as well as a listing of all his newly-added sponsors.

"Wow," Gohan mused, wide-eyed but no umbrage present in his tone while his mother groaned and leaned dramatically back on the couch.

"That man is a CON! Why couldn't Goku and Gohan get all that money?! It's an absolute travesty," she complained, her temper flaring now as she thought out loud, "Goku's going to be training in Otherworld and I'll have to rely on my poor father with help making ends meet while that bombastic showboat takes all the credit! Ugh…I'm going to give him a call. In all the excitement, I haven't even told him that we're expecting…"

Frowning, Sofia watched her friend sigh and go back to the kitchen towards the phone. Gohan's brows were furrowed in worry, but when he saw Sofia's gaze sharpen back on the TV as if she was plotting something, he blinked and prodded, "Uh oh, what're you thinking of doing?"

"Hm? Oh, nothing. Why do you ask?" she innocently dismissed, gesturing reassuringly.

"Because you had that look in your eye like you're really mad and going to do something about it," Gohan genuinely surmised.

"…I'm not mad at all," she remarked, unconvincingly.

"Sure," Gohan drawled, knowing her too well.

Just as she was going to respond, she stopped herself and instead mused, "Anyway, how about we finish with your room upstairs? I can set up your laptop for you while you move the last of your stuff up. That way we can help your mom turn your old bedroom into the new baby nursery."

"That's a great idea!" Gohan chimed and rushed to do just that. As they were finishing up with his bookcase, they heard a car pull up and park at the side of the yard. Looking out the window of his room on the new second floor of the humble home, Gohan smiled and rushed towards the door to sprint down the stairs. "Grandpa's here!"

Smiling, Sofia followed and came down the stairs to see the stocky, gentle giant of a man come into the home and give both daughter and grandson a loving bear hug. "I am SO happy I'm going to be a grandpa again! What a wonderful gift after so much turmoil," he gushed as Gohan and Chi-Chi sweetly let him carry on about how he would stop by every day to help. Sofia patted him on the back and assured him they would all help and was about to suggest that they let her cook a nice dinner in honor of the news, whe she sensed Vegeta's ki signature nearing. She and Gohan glanced west at the same time before sharing a quick exhale of dispiritedness.

"We'll be right back," she remarked as they headed out to the yard.

"Uh, was it something I said?" Ox King remarked, earning a forlorn sigh from Chi-Chi as she gestured for him to come sit and have some tea.

Sure enough, as they reached the center of the yard, Vegeta burst from the late afternoon cumulus clouds to ping onto the home of his archrival and begin his descent. Surprisingly, right behind him was a small Capsule Corp hoverjet, which banked across the sky in order to come in for a safe landing. Just as the mercurial Saiyan landed, he stalked over to them and impatiently sniped, "I have half a mind to teach that shrew I am NOT to be disrespected—"

"Vegeta, you're talking about my mother. I'd tread lightly," Gohan cut in, earning a proud smirk from Sofia at the steely edge of his tone. Piccolo would've loved it.

Grunting at that, Vegeta was about to retort when the hoverjet finally taxied to a stop across from them and the ramp lowered to allow an aggravated Bulma to stomp over with a precocious baby Trunks bouncing to be let down in her arms. "Dammit, Vegeta! I told you NOT to rush over here and bother Chi-Chi—"

"I want to know where Kakarot is, woman, so when I ask a question, I expect an answer," Vegeta groused tersely and leveled Sofia with a withering glare. "What the hell is going on, stealth? Where is that clown? Why can't I sense him on Earth anymore?"

"Because he's off-world," Sofia remarked, quickly adding, "And I can't tell you anymore than that—"

"He's on King Kai's planet, isn't he? What kind of training is that jackass getting now?!" Vegeta cut in demandingly, earning a huff from Bulma.

Dramatically exhaling and slapping her arms down against her sides in exasperation, Sofia glanced at Gohan, who shrugged. "Look…I'll tell you, but can we stow the angst?" she remarked and gestured to the cottage behind her. "I won't deign to suggest you apologize to Chi-Chi, so Bulma," directing her attention to the blue-haired woman, she added, "Can you go cheer her up? After all, you two will have to plan play dates in the very near future."

Blinking, Bulma balked, "No way!" When Gohan grinned happily and Sofia winked, the Capsule Corp heiress glanced at Trunks as he babbled for her attention. "You're going to have a playmate, sweetie!"

"…Kakarot knocked her up AND got to go off-world to train. See, woman? You can't complain," Vegeta snickered, crossing his arms and smirking haughtily when Sofia suppressed a chuckle.

"Keep talking, bub. That chef I mentioned hiring? Maybe I'll reconsider, seeing as you got jokes and swagger, so maybe you can take up cooking for yourself too!" Bulma shot sharply as she turned her nose up in a snooty huff and stalked away to the cottage to greet Chi-Chi and congratulate her.

Rolling his eyes, Vegeta muttered, "Her threats would be amusing if they involved anything else but food…"

Giggling between themselves, Gohan and Sofia tried not to grin at how the Mighty Prince Vegeta who struck fear across galaxies was now in a surly snit.

"Well? Get to talking," he barked at Sofia, who sighed and shrugged.

'It's gonna be a minute, kid. Head in and relax so I can get Vegeta to simmer,' she telepathically mused to her friend, who nodded and rushed back inside the house. Once they were both alone in the yard, she placed her hands on her hips. "Goku was supposed to stay dead, but he hadn't done the horizontal mambo to father his next child, so I had to finagle to get him wished back so he _could_ and once Chi-Chi conceived? I had to get him up to King Kai's to train in Otherworld," she remarked offhandedly, figuring it was pointless to lie or craft a vague rationale. "He's going to be training as he was meant to until the next World Martial Arts Tournament. That's all I can say."

Absorbing her explanation, Vegeta scowled. "He'll get even stronger…"

"Yep! That's the idea," she drawled, raising a brow. "You _do_ know that doesn't stop you from training—"

"No shit, stealth. Don't condescend! I just can't stand that Kakarot always finds a fast track to growing stronger," he snapped in a gravelly tone, eyes narrowing as he added, "Now I'll have to contend with another welp of his—"

"When are you gonna make an honest woman out of Bulma?" Sofia glibly changed the subject.

Sputtering, Vegeta's eyes snapped wide as he dropped his arms to his sides and barked, "What the hell are you on about?! How's that got anything to do—?"

"Admit it, Vegeta. You looooooove her," Sofia purred mischievously and gave him a brilliantly fangy grin as she remarked, "Instead of worrying about Kakarot and his brood, how 'bout you set your attention on the good stuff you got going for yah!" Bouncing her eyebrows and giving him a sly look after suddenly appearing at his side and throwing her arm around his broad shoulders, she murmured cheerfully, "You, Prince Vegeta – married to the smartest, most fantastic woman on the planet, who actually puts up with your shit and turns you on while doing so. You're long-overdue for making her yours in the super official sense!"

Stiffly side-eyeing the brash woman, Vegeta grunted, "You're way too invested in my sex life, stealth—"

"I like to think of it as me being an excellent wing woman!" she exuberantly cackled and squeezed him boldly to her side as she chortled, "Us alphas gotta stick together and help each other out!"

"Speak for yourself. You might struggle to deal with your twin-whatever, but I've had _no_ problem in handling Bulma—" he began to scoff.

"See, it's cute when you say shit like that because I know you've never had to handle anyone you didn't want to kill or defeat, and you don't wanna do _either_ when it comes to her," Sofia serenely mused as she playfully crossed her arms and leaned platonically against him. "Admit it, Vegeta—"

"I will admit no such thing," he scathingly shot and shoved her away, forcing her to comically teeter at an angle before she recovered and pouted at him. "Just for your insolence, I expect you to cook me a feast of all feasts next time you come to Capsule Corp to use my Gravity Simulator," he tersely remarked and raised a brow sharply at her as she grunted sardonically and smirked.

"Fine, I'll just get Bulma to dish on your sexy relationship then as a consolation prize," she sing-sung, earning a consternated blue blush to darken his surly features.

"You do know I killed my last wing man for pissing me off, right?" Vegeta acerbically remarked, giving her a wry glare.

"Pffft, and? Nappa had no game and probably couldn't cook a decent meal. Not to mention, I genuinely love yah, best buddy!" Sofia offered beamingly before posing in a confident stance as she shot a wink and a grin at him.

Sweatdropping, Vegeta shook his head – always mildly impressed and amused that she had absolutely no fear of him – and dryly muttered, "Despite your wanton audacity, you _do_ know how to make good points."

* * *

"—Pikkon, I need you to go straight to Hell for me and sort things out down there."

"Whoa, he told him to go to HELL, King Kai—"

"Goku, shut it! He's the Grand Kai – he can say what he wants!"

It had already been quite a surreal trip for Goku as he and King Kai had traveled to Otherworld. First seeing King Kai squabble with the other Kais, who made fun of him for having gotten blown up momentarily, then it was finding out about Grand Kai's training domain where all the fallen heroes of history who'd been heroic enough to have been allowed to keep their bodies and train in the afterlife. He was already having a hard time processing everything when he met Pikkon and was reminded of Piccolo in the cold, composed demeanor. _I definitely have to spar with this guy—!_

"King Yema's guys are dealing with a revolt down in Hell ever since he sent some guy name Cell down there. Evidently he's rallied a bunch of the others to run wild. I need you to go help and get things back in order there," the sunglasses and jean-clad Kai had remarked, causing Goku to balk while Pikkon agreed to do the task and set off.

"Cell?! No way's he gonna be able to handle him on his own. I'm heading there too!" Goku had leapt into action, ignoring King Kai's warning shout and shooting off at full speed to try and gain on the other enigmatic warrior.

Standing now at the edge of the cliff and staring in genuine wonder as Pikkon ordered the ogres to toss the badly beaten villains into the cave-like prison cell they'd be sharing until more suitable accommodations were created for each, Goku was astonished at how quickly the other fighter had dispensed with Cell. Seeing how he'd thrashed Frieza and King Cold also left him buzzing with wonder at the prospects of getting to spar with Pikkon and learn from him. When the jail cell's bars slammed shut, Goku snapped out of his wandering thoughts and nodded in acknowledgement as Goz and Mez gave him dual cheers of thanks.

Just as Goku was going to turn on his heel and levitate upwards to join Pikkon, a familiar voice called out for him from the prison cell.

"Goku. Before you go…I want to ask you something." Turning and blinking wide-eyed, the usually chipper man stared at Cell, surprised. "Ugh…don't give me that dumb look, would yah?" The magenta-eyed Android huffed as he gripped at the bars and scowled before adding, "I don't have any tricks at my disposal…I genuinely just want to ask you while I still have the chance."

"Huh," Goku mused before ambling over, curious. "Why not. Shoot."

Glowering, Cell muttered, "Don't tempt me…" before narrowing his eyes; conspiratorially, he lowered his voice so the other inmates who were currently quarreling amongst themselves behind him couldn't hear, "Did you train _her_ to do that transformation? And if so, why wasn't it something I'd ever had data on?"

"…huh?" Goku honestly gave him his blank, confused expression. "Who are you talking about?"

"So _fia_ , you idiot!" Cell barked in exasperation before seething in a low baritone, "That transformation of hers was unlike anything I had in my data files, so did _you_ train her?!"

"Sorry, Cell. I have no idea what you're talking about," Goku shrugged and genuinely scratched at his chin as he tried to understand what the point of his questioning was. "Sofia doesn't have any transformations that I know of—"

"So then that animalistic malevolence was all hers…" Cell mused, thinking out loud in order not to lose his patience with the dense fighter. "Hmph…interesting," he smirked, giving Goku a smug glance as he purred in his trademark goading, pompous tone, "I guess I was right all along about her."

Brows furrowing, Goku's countenance hardened at the implication. "What're you going on about?"

"Oh, nothing you'd understand, you dense monkey," Cell cavalierly chuckled. "After all, you were already _dead_ when she transformed. As fearsome and vicious as she became, it fizzled out. I'm sure with the proper push, that monstrous energy will overtake her again, and there's nothing any of your foolhardy friends will be able to do to stop it, hah! I only wish I could be there to see when she destroys everything in her path," the Android sadistically growled in a low, devilish pitch as he smirked at Goku's bemused expression.

Suddenly pursing his lips comically at the weird innuendo he was picking up from the villain's tone, Goku blurted, "Ohhhh, I forgot you're made up of Piccolo's cells too, so I guess you must've inherited his love for Sofia, huh?"

Eyes shrinking to pin points and jaw clenching in mortified befuddlement, Cell stiffened as he tried to make sense of the idiotic comment. "…what did you say?!" he seethed between clenched teeth as he lurched as far as he could to balk into Goku's face from behind the bars.

"Aw, don't worry, Cell. It makes total sense that you'd have a crush on Sofia! No reason to be bashful," Goku congenially remarked and chuckled affably, "But she and Piccolo are together, so unfortunately for you, you don't have a chance. Especially since, you know, you're in Hell forever now," he added with that silly, irreverent giggle of his, causing Cell to do a face dive into the bars and slide down to become a consternated heap, until Goku jabbed, "It sounds like she beat you up well enough to have left you bothered, so I'd say that proves she's out of your league too. Oh well, at least you have plenty of time to think about things. See yah, Cell!"

Leaping up to thrash his arm outwards to where Goku had been standing, Cell snarled through bared teeth as he watched Goku join up with Pikkon and fly off without giving him as much of a second glance.

" _DAMN_ YOU, GOKUUUUUU!" he bellowed loud enough to shake the cell and the other inmates off of their cots, comically.

As he flew, the overly jovial and optimistic fighter couldn't help but ruminate about one thing Cell said. Not because it was a scary notion, but because it made no sense to him whatsoever. _*That animalistic malevolence was all hers…*_

He'd never seen anything in Sofia to account for such a description, and now wondered if he'd missed something. After all, he'd spent a lot of time playing catch up on the happenings outside of he and Gohan's training in the chamber, but he still couldn't imagine anything resembling the caustic comment from Cell. Pouting, he pushed the notion away and instead focused on the magical world ahead of him as he and Pikkon returned to the fantastic planet he'd be training on for the next several years.

* * *

The fire crackled warmly from the soft cool breeze that swayed down across the valley from the western mountains. Roasting two huge fish over the hot flame, Gohan was dutifully turning them over while Sofia entertained baby Trunks by manipulating her crimson ki into dancing, wispy figurines of butterflies and undulating ribbons that twirled around the tyke as he giggled and reached to swat at the fluttering ki.

Once she'd seen Vegeta off, Sofia had gone back into the house and joined the conversation around the kitchen table. Offering to take Gohan and Trunks outside to play in the yard, Ox King let the women have their adult discussion, knowing his daughter needed to vent about things he wasn't the right sounding board for. When the convo turned to how Chi-Chi would manage a new baby all on her own, Bulma gave Sofia a knowing look, as if to say, 'This is gonna be a long one,' and gestured for her to go ahead and head outside while she could. Smiling she'd excused herself and left the two women and mothers of demi-Saiyans alone to commiserate.

Ox King had helped set the fire while Gohan fished, but babysitting a rambunctious Trunks had take a toll on the gentle giant of a man, who'd fallen asleep once Sofia had commandeered the precocious child.

Sitting down to start chomping away on one of the cooked fish, Gohan watched as Sofia continued to mystify Trunks with her psionic ki manipulation, now manifesting a little bird that fluttered around high before landing on his chubby hand and fizzling like a warm tickle. "That's neat!" he remarked after swallowing a mouthful.

"Thanks! It's kind of like drawing, but with my ki. It's been good practice since I gained my ki manipulation back," Sofia replied warmly as she let Trunks squirm in her lap to be picked up and cuddled for warmth. Snapping her fingers and magically materializing a cozy blanket for him, she wrapped him in it as she cradled and rocked him soothingly. Putting his leftover fish to the side, Gohan shuffled closer so he could whisper to not wake his grandfather or stir Trunks. She sensed that he wanted to say something, so when he just stayed pensively silent, she prodded telepathically, 'Penny for your thoughts, kid.'

Smiling, Gohan glanced up at her with his wide, kind raven eyes. 'I've just been thinking a lot about Sixteen. I-I guess I wish I could've done more, that way you wouldn't have tried to intervene to stop him from being destroyed…'

Heart wrenching, Sofia's eyes softened and her eyes became glossy as they shined like rubies in the firelight. She couldn't believe how she'd almost forgotten what happened with the benevolent, noble Android, and now found herself feeling ashamed and regretful. 'Gohan…you did exactly what you were supposed to do. Sixteen was prepared to sacrifice himself all along…and I stupidly tried to change that because I didn't want either of you to suffer,' staring into the younger fighter's eyes, she whispered, "That was selfish. I knew there could be an adverse consequence, and I did the wrong thing for what I thought was the right reason. I'm sorry—"

"Don't be. I don't think it was selfish. You didn't do anything any of us wouldn't have. You got invested," Gohan assuaged earnestly, smiling when he saw her eyes widen in startled awe. "Dad told me once that we do what we do for others; for the people we care about. I didn't mean to bring it up to make you sad…I just was saying I wish I could've done more," he murmured before smiling ruefully as he glanced across at the fire.

Feeling her eyes well up with emotion, it took everything in Sofia not to let one tear drop before she composed herself and instead responded in a level mutter, "Why are you so much wiser than me. It isn't fair. I'm the adult!"

Giggling at that, Gohan tried to stifle his laugh as to not wake Trunks, who was finally in full baby slumber as she cradled him against her shoulder. A pleasant, confortable pause reined between them for a beat as only the crackling of the fire and the sound of crickets became louder as nighttime began to creep over the valley. She let her mind wander to the considerations she'd been mulling over all week. Just like three years before, she wasn't sure where she needed to be, or how she would navigate things. Piccolo was meant to have stayed at the Lookout to help Dende learn how to be the new Kami, while life moved on for everyone else back on Earth. She'd been pondering ideas of what to do now that peace was restored to the planet, but kept kicking around logistical considerations. _Maybe I can—_

"So are you and Piccolo going to get married?"

Sweatdropping and sliding her startled, devolved expression over at Gohan, Sofia mechanically kept rocking the sleeping baby as she stammered, "I-I-I don't, well, I mean we haven't talked about it—and really it's not like we need the title—he _just_ started acknowledging publicly we're together after all! I mean I'm totally content—I don't think it's like—"

"Uh, you're rambling," the younger fighter piped, causing her to blush and sweatdrop more. "Well if you're content and happy that's what matters. After all, Vegeta and Bulma aren't married. I guess all relationships are unique," Gohan surmised. "Mom and Dad got married right after they'd fought each other in the World Martial Arts Tournament, but that doesn't mean all relationships have to be the same," he maturely mused, smiling at her when he added, "After all, Piccolo used to hate you, and now he looooooves you~! He-he-he-he!"

Amused and perturbed at the same time, Sofia narrowed her eyes goofily at him. "Keep it up, kid. I'm banking all your hassling for when _you_ get a girlfriend, yah hear?!" she purred in that silly yet lethal tone of hers.

Continuing to giggle, Gohan was about to tease her about how she needed to domesticate Mr. Piccolo more when he heard Bulma and Chi-Chi walk out of the cottage behind him. The two women came over and relished the adorable scene. Ox King was sprawled on his back snoring away while Sofia was rocking Trunks against her shoulder. Standing to gently hand the sleeping tyke to his mother, Sofia smiled when Bulma mused and winked, "You seriously can babysit anytime."

"Girl, I'll babysit whenever you need to put Vegeta to bed," she snickered and bounced her eyebrows at her. Bulma stifled a giggle while Chi-Chi admonishingly shook her head at that.

"I trust Vegeta won't be coming around to badger us any time soon?" the raven-haired woman inquired sharply, crossing her arms and glancing at Gohan. "No more bothering you with training or doomsday fights, so you can focus on your studies?"

Sweatdropping and giggling cheekily, Gohan nodded as Sofia assured, "Nah. He's all set."

"And I'll make sure of it too, Chi-Chi," Bulma seconded, smiling as she cuddled Trunks lovingly. "With Goku off-world, he'll stay low key. The only pompous grandstander we'll have to put up with is that giant windbag Hercule. I can't believe WC-TV's interviewing him tonight! I have half a mind to call the station and rain on that jerk's parade—"

"Wait. His interview's happening in West City?" Sofia interrupted Bulma's harangue, expression sobering.

"Yeah! In the WC-TV studios downtown," the blue-haired scientist remarked, adding, "The city's been a madhouse since his parade rolled into town. I was even thinking of sending Vegeta over there to scare the shi—"

"I just remembered I gotta take care of something," Sofia suddenly changed the subject, ruffling Gohan's hair affectionately quickly before hugging Bulma and Chi-Chi goodbye gently as she rushed comically, "I'll see you guys later!" before raising her fore and middle fingers to her forehead and winking out of sight.

Causing Bulma to start at the new technique, she gaped about before remarking, "She can blink out like Goku now too?!" When Chi-Chi just shook her head ruefully while Gohan giggled, the Capsule Corp heiress grumbled, "What am I saying. Of course she did. I've been wondering when Goku would teach that technique to someone else… don't let Vegeta find out, though."

* * *

"—meeting King Furry tomorrow at 8am sharp, and then we have a stadium exhibition at 11am, but between then Z-TV asked if we can squeeze them in for a quick interview—"

"Alright, give the itinerary a rest for now, Piiza. Just make sure to get me my breakfast by 7:30am and I'll let you cart me around to the appointments," Hercule interrupted as he rubbed at his temple, the exhaustion now wearing on his features as he glanced sidelong at the shorter woman. "I appreciate everything you're doing. The Champ's just a little tired, is all…"

"Of course!" the enthusiastic woman chirped as she closed her date book and smiled cheerfully up at him when the elevator dinged before opening to the foyer of the penthouse suite. "You get your rest, and I'll be by first thing in the morning!"

Hercule grunted his thanks as he loped out of the elevator towards the large, gilded double doors. Entering the sprawling and opulently decorated top floor penthouse, he yawned loudly and stretched his arms over his head, eager to finally let his guard down and just unwind after days of interviews and spectacle. As he trekked across the length of the suite towards the large bedroom at the end, he walked by the living room, dimly noticing the balcony sliding doors were wide open and the cool night air was fluttering the delicate window curtains. It wasn't until his hearing picked up the low sounds of the television being on that he paused and froze in mid step before his senses finally registered he wasn't alone.

Comically turning with a tentative dread creeping across his features, his blue eyes snapped wide as he noticed someone was lounging in the large armchair. The back of the chair is what was facing him, but the long legs that were stretched out to prop boot-clad feet up on the coffee table were idly tapping as if they could hear the musical accompaniment playing over the segment on the low-volume setting from the large screen adjacent to the wall. His gaze darted to the TV screen as the news was rerunning footage from the Cell Games. The golden-haired fighter in the orange fighting gi flashed across the screen through static and debris before zipping to bright flashes to reveal Hercule's triumphant face as he waved and cheered with the masses in his parade caravan from days ago.

Suddenly sitting up and peeking over the back of the armchair at him, the nervous faux hero fell backwards when the mysterious intruder shouted pleasantly, "Oh, hey Hercule!"

Leaping up to fearfully fall into his martial arts stance, the burly man stammered, "H-how DARE you try and get the jump on me! These hands are lethal weapons—" Pausing when his mind finally registered the familiarity of the intruder, Hercule sweatdropped as Sofia deadpan stared at him. "…Wait. Y-you're that little lady…you were there."

Now rounding to stand across from him, Sofia took her other earbud out and placed the headphones in her jacket pocket. Hercule surveyed her appearance, realizing it took him a minute to place her because of how differently she was dressed from the last time he'd seen her on the battlefield. The skintight fight suit was gone and her hair wasn't pinned back. Long dark hair was down and framing her face while the black motto jacket, fitted blue jeans and heavy-soled lace-up boots made her look pedestrian, albeit fierce. Her crimson red eyes flashed across his memory, especially when they narrowed on him.

"Yep. That's me," she responded to his comment and casually loped towards the couch as she coolly leaned her hip against the back of it and gestured for him to take a load off. "These are some nice digs—"

"H-how'd you get up here past security…?" the burly man tentatively asked as he cautiously rounded the armchair and sat down, eyes wide as dinner plates.

"Ah, I just dropped in," she remarked and offhandedly gestured over her shoulder to the open balcony doors. "Anyway, sorry to impose, but I wanted to talk to you, Hercule. Figured tonight was as best a time as any," Sofia boldly remarked as she crossed her arms and tilted her head charismatically to the side and smiled.

"T-talk?" he gaped, eyes darting around. "Talk about what—?"

"I always wondered if you had to pay off the Z-TV crew, or if they ended up totally buying your story," she remarked aloofly as she glanced at the TV. "From all the footage and commentary, I think it's the latter. I gotta give you props: You're a fantastic showman, Hercule."

Pausing, he began to get nervous. "T-thank you?" he lamely chortled until Sofia was suddenly standing in front of him.

Recoiling backwards against the armchair, he cowered a bit when she sat on the corner of the coffee table and leaned forward after placing her forearms along the tops of her knees. Exhaling an innocent sigh, she mused, "I don't want you to be afraid, champ. Can I level with you?" Hercule nodded enthusiastically while his features remained tense. "I'm here to ask you a favor. I don't think you're a bad guy, so I don't feel wrong about asking you for this favor, especially after everything we've been through—"

"F-F-Favor?" Mr. Satan stammered. "What kind of favor?"

Smiling, Sofia leaned further and platonically shook his knee. "Quit acting like I'm gonna kill yah—"

Jumping, Hercule shook his fear off and let his bravado take over. "As IF you could, little lady! I'm no pushover—"

"—Vegeta could and _would_ , but I'd talk him down from doing it," Sofia continued as if uninterrupted. Her crimson eyes held his for dramatic effect before she added sincerely, "I don't want anything from you. I just would like to ask you to help Goku's family get through the next few years."

Sobering, Hercule sat straighter. "Help them?"

"Yeah! The Sons are wonderful, kind, and modest people of humble means. With Goku gone, things are going to get tight. They do not seek any limelight from the fight against Cell," she assured, brushing her hair behind her ears as she leaned back and added, "But even a small fraction of the bookoo bucks you've earned lately would be enough to help them get through this difficult period. I'd be in your debt."

"…And you wouldn't speak out about what happened on the battlefield?" Hercule tentatively inquired, eyes sharpening on her.

Extending her hand out to him, Sofia smiled. "You have my word. The others are not flashy types. They won't come out either—"

"And you'll owe me one…?" Mr. Satan interrupted; his bravado peeking again as he went to shake her hand and deliberately squeezed it confidently. When Sofia applied a modicum of her true grip to his, his eyes bulged out and he winced comically as she shook his hand.

"Yep! I really appreciate your friendship, Hercule," she cheerfully remarked as she continued to shake his hand, applying more pressure for emphasis.

Mr. Satan dropped to his knees and banged his other hand against the coffee table in desperate panic as he began to goofily whimper while tapping out but trying to still keep his smug expression plastered on his face. "S-SURE! ANYTHING FOR A FRIEND, AHAHAHAH—Ow-ow-ow-ow~! Can you let go now?" his boastful tone became a blubbering whine, so Sofia let go of his hand and platonically patted him on his shoulder.

"I'm glad! Thanks so much for agreeing to chat," she chirped as she stood and loped affably towards the open balcony doors. "I know you're a man of your word, champ, so I won't worry about a thing—" Sofia irreverently mused as she reached the balcony and was about to depart.

"W-Wait! I didn't get your name," Hercule shouted over.

Glancing back at him over her shoulder, she replied simply, "I'm Sofia! Good luck, and hope you get to spend quality time with Videl after all the excitement calms down." With that, she waved a casual farewell before levitating upwards and flying off into the night sky.

* * *

Scowling as he walked out to the hallway and heard the sound of music coming from the other end of the living quarters, he was about to turn on his heel and head the opposite way when his nose twitched at the decadently delicious scents that were wafting down from that direction. Intrigued, Vegeta let his nose lead him down to the ample living room just before the kitchen, wondering if the woman caved and hired a chef after all.

Entering the large room, his eyes honed in on Bulma's spandex-clad backside as she gyrated along the beat of the music video that was playing on the huge TV screen. It took him a beat to realize Sofia was dancing with her, counting down each step and undulation as she instructed her by doing the same dance moves. "Uh-huh, perfect! Remember, it's all in the hips~!" the taller woman sing sung before undulating her hips and pelvis in a fluid motion that Bulma mimicked. While the two women danced, Trunks was in his walker, happily bouncing along to the beat as he bustled about the room.

"Whew! This is a real workout," the sea-foam-colored-haired woman laughed while Sofia knowingly glanced over at Vegeta and winked. Following Sofia's stare, Bulma comically tensed and balked before feigning disinterest as she wiped sweat from her brow. Bulma was wearing a pink spandex bodysuit with blue leg warmers while Sofia was in black leggings and an orange novelty shirt with "I fought at the Cell Games and all I got was this Lousy shirt" printed in graphic lettering on the front.

Realizing she must've spent the night at Capsule Corp for some reason, Vegeta raised a brow at her, wondering what she was up to.

"Hey, best buddy! I made yah a brunch spread, and got a few things prepped later for dinner," Sofia cheekily grinned as she danced and wiggled about the room goofily, to Trunks' delight.

Smirking as he gave Bulma a burning once-over, Vegeta drawled, "You do know how to redeem yourself, stealth."

"That's the LAST massive meal Sofia cooks for you, buster. I only let her because she insisted it was to make good, but no more," Bulma snootily huffed as she stretched her arms over her head to ease the tension in her lower back, causing her cleavage to strain again the tight spandex of her bodysuit.

Vegeta's face was priceless as his brows quirked up towards his hairline and his eyes fixated on her curves. The leering, hungry expression shuttered in though when Trunks wheeled at full baby speed over and slammed his walker into his father's shins before laughing and bouncing cheekily. Glaring down at the baby, Vegeta dropped his arms to his sides and watched as his progeny cheerfully stared up at him with his adorable blue eyes and outstretched arms, beckoning to be picked up. Sofia shot him a look that almost cajoled, 'Do it~!' while he grunted at the sight and furrowed his thick brows as he watched his son continue to vie for his attention.

Bulma was about to roll her eyes at the exchange and coax Trunks to come to momma when she was astonished to see Vegeta relent and pick the tyke up out of the walker to be held in his brawny, chiseled arms. Ecstatic, Trunks curled lovingly against Vegeta, burying his face against his neck and cooing contentedly. The sight was so precious to Bulma that she practically melted and fawned internally, eyes becoming brilliant sapphires as they sparkled at Vegeta while Sofia relished the scene and snapped a covert picture on her smartphone of the Saiyan prince holding his cherubic son.

Shooting Sofia a smug look after Bulma flounced over and kissed him on his cheek before she led him towards the kitchen, Vegeta smirked as he projected telepathically over to her, 'Oh, you're good.'

Beaming at his lowering of his guard to allow for a telepathic link to be formed between them, Sofia grinned. 'I know~!'

* * *

The early afternoon sky was brilliant and cool as he flew over the clouds towards Mt. Paozu. He was eager to see Sofia after so many days apart, but more than anything he couldn't wait to finally reveal what his plans were. Bursting through the clouds, he saw the distinctive mountain ranges shine across the horizon, so he began his descent. Zooming over the lush valley, Piccolo flew down and flipped in midair to stick a regal landing in the yard across from the small Son cottage. _Huh, not so small anymore,_ he thought to himself as he surveyed the improvements recently made to the cottage. Now a 2-story home, the domed side of the house boasted more room within for the growing family.

Gohan came around the side of the house where the food cellar stood, effortlessly carrying massive sacks of grain over both shoulders. "Hey, Piccolo!" the demi-Saiyan greeted and rushed over as he smiled and asked, "How's everything up at The Lookout?"

"It's good," Piccolo replied as he glanced around. "Is Sofia here?"

"Uh-uh," Gohan chirped as he tossed the sacks down. "She left last night to do something, but hasn't been back."

"Hmph," he grunted, extending his rapport out to hone in on her. "She's not nearby. Did she mention where she was heading?"

Gohan shook his head. "Just that she had to take care of something. Oh! Guess what? Mom is going to have another baby!" he cheerfully exclaimed, ecstatically smiling up at the taller fighter.

Snickering, Piccolo ruffled the top of his hair. "I know, kid. You ready to be a big brother?"

"Yeah! I'm going to help Mom out too. Dad might even come from Otherworld when the baby comes," Gohan brimmed with joy, his dark eyes wide and gleaming in the sun as he smiled. "I can't wait!"

"Gohan! Have you gotten the grain out from the storage shed?" Chi-Chi called out from the open front door before poking her head out. "Oh, hi Piccolo. I trust you're not here to drag him away to spar, right?! Because those days are _over_!" the fearsome woman berated, earning a sweatdrop from the Namekian warrior.

"…Sure, no sparring," he muttered dryly and crossed his arms. "Congratulations, by the way."

"Oh, isn't it wonderful?" Chi-Chi fawned as she dreamily clasped her hands together and looked up lovingly at the sky. "My sweet Goku and I are going to have another child~! I can't wait to love my little baby to pieces—"

'If she doesn't smother 'em first,' Piccolo drawled, earning snickers from his Namekian counterparts.

"—And don't you even THINK of taking this one off into the wilderness to train, you hear me?!" Piccolo flinched and stiffened comically as Chi-Chi harangued at that pitch he found so jarring and menacingly pointed at him.

"That was ONE time! Gohan turned out great, but fine, sure whatever," Piccolo barked tersely and squared his shoulders in a surly huff. Before he could mutter his snide aside about not planning on babysitting any more of Goku's spawn after such ungratefulness, he paused as he heard a vehicle advancing towards the valley.

Turning, they all watched as a souped-up delivery van rushed down the winding road and kicked up dust in its wake before drifting into a spinning stop. Hopping out of the vehicle, a portly courier sprinted across the remaining distance and skidded to a halt right in front of Chi-Chi. "'Scuse me, ma'am. Is this the Son residence?" the man inquired in a nasally drawl as he looked down at his clipboard.

"Uh, yes it is," Chi-Chi responded while Piccolo and Gohan exchanged glances.

"Ah, please sign, here, and here, and initial here," the man instructed as he held the clipboard out and pointed at every spot while Chi-Chi did as she was told. "There!" taking the clipboard back and practically materializing a large gray, polished briefcase, the courier handed it to Chi-Chi and recited, "Thank you so much for entrusting West-Ex with such an important delivery. Ya'll have a nice day!"

Before Chi-Chi could even inquire who the sender was, the portly man jogged back to his van, hopped in, and burned rubber accelerating out of the valley to his next delivery. Blinking in the man's wake, Gohan looked at his mother. "What's in the briefcase, Mom?" he asked as he followed her into the house so she could place it on the kitchen table.

"I'm not sure, dear. I wasn't expecting any deliveries," the raven-haired woman replied as she undid the clasps that secured the briefcase before pressing the button that would spring the case open. Piccolo followed as well, intrigued, and watched as the case popped open and revealed stacks of Zeni bills lined in order to fit the entire inside of the briefcase. On top of the money was a small manila envelope.

Completely in shock and staring at the stacks of money as she stammered in awe, Chi-Chi hadn't picked up the envelope, so when she grabbed handfuls of the bills to see if they were real, Piccolo snagged the envelope before it hit the floor. Handing it to Gohan, he watched the younger fighter open it and pull out a slip of paper on hotel stationary. "Please find this small sum as a token of my thanks to your husband and a fellow World Martial Arts Champion! – H," Gohan read out loud, before looking at his mother.

"I-I can't believe it! There's enough money here to see us through to the next decade," Chi-Chi's eyes were brimming with overjoyed tears as she finally registered what Gohan had read. "H?! Who's that?" she snatched the paper and read the message, completely perplexed.

Piccolo pondered, remembering Gohan had said something about Sofia going to take care of something. "It could be Hercule Satan," he mused out loud, earning Chi-Chi's expression of wonder. "The heel probably realized he can't take credit for defeating Cell without making sure he pays for the privilege of taking all the glory," he muttered, smirking when Gohan and Chi-Chi seemed none the wiser that perhaps the champ had been convinced by a certain red-eyed fighter to commit to the act of kindness.

'At least now you know where Sofia's likely to be,' Nail remarked affably.

Grunting at that, Piccolo watched as Chi-Chi literally began to weep for joy. "My prayers have been answered! I don't have to beg and borrow or rely on my father to help make ends meet," she hugged Gohan and then shocked Piccolo when she bear hugged him as well in her effervescent euphoria. "Isn't it absolutely WONDERFUL~!?"

Piccolo's expression was etched in consternated tension as a blue blush darkened his features while the wife of his once nemesis continued to gush and waltz around the kitchen with stars in her eyes. Gohan tried and failed to stifle giggling at his old sensei's expense.

"Alright I'm gonna leave now and go find Sofia so goodbye!" Piccolo hurriedly muttered as he sternly stalked out of the house before he was pulled into any other mortifying displays.

"Hahahah, bye, Piccolo!" Gohan called out and waved at the surly warrior as he blasted off into the sky.

* * *

'I don't think I've ever seen Chi-Chi that happy ever,' Nail remarked congenially.

'It's so nice to see some positive happenings after all of the tumult she's had to deal with,' Kami chimed.

'I could've done without the hugging,' Piccolo grumbled tersely, earning the amusement of the other two Namekians. He was zipping over the West City skyline to reach Capsule Corp, sensing Vegeta was there, but unable to pick up his rapport with Sofia yet. Seeing the large golden-domed building ahead, he sped down and banked over the sprawling courtyard, seeing Bulma sitting outside at a picnic table laden with snacks, watching baby Trunks attempt to walk towards her.

Vegeta was exiting his old Gravity Simulator just as Piccolo descended and landed across from him. Grunting, the Saiyan stalked over and casually passed the Namekian warrior as he drawled, "If you're looking for your twin star, you _just_ missed her."

Frowning, Piccolo crossed his arms and turned sidelong. "Did she mention where she was going?" he inquired, eyes narrowing when the shorter fighter snickered and gave him that smug look he couldn't stand.

"She did, but I think you should hone in on that star-crossed connection you two have rather than have me tell you," Vegeta goaded, smirking when he saw a temper vein throb at Piccolo's temple. He enjoyed the sport of getting on the Namek's nerves, and he wasn't about to give it up now.

"Vegeta, spare me the bullshi—!"

"Hey, Piccolo! How's it going?" Bulma greeted as she held baby Trunks' hands and helped him walk across the yard towards the two fighters, unaware of the one-upmanship between them.

"I'm fine. I see you're keeping busy," Piccolo remarked as he eyed the blue-eyed tyke that was defiantly staring up at him, features just like his father's.

"Hah, yep! You wanna show Piccolo how far you can walk, bud?" she cajoled to Trunks, who pushed her hands away so he could determinedly take shaky steps towards the imposing warrior.

Grunting, Piccolo let the precocious child grab onto the side of his cape to avoid falling. "Not bad, kid," he humored, smirking when the defiant baby exclaimed gibberish at him and yanked imploringly on the cape. "A lot more attitude than your future self. I'm glad I don't have to worry about you trying anything funny—"

"Oh, he already kissed Sofia the other day," Vegeta cut in wryly, earning a tense side eye from Piccolo, who clenched his jaw as he glared down at the baby antagonist. "Right on the lips. He _is_ the son of a Saiyan elite, after all."

Glowering comically at that, Piccolo shook his head as Bulma giggled and picked up the baby before he could earn the current Demon King's ire. "I'm going to put him down for his nap. If you're wanting to catch up with Sofia, she said if you came looking, to meet her where you usually camp—"

"Dammit, woman, I wanted him to work for it," Vegeta groused, irritated.

"Oh give it a rest, Vegeta," Bulma admonished as she coquettishly went over and planted a kiss on his cheek, batting her lashes at him as she purred loud enough for Piccolo to hear, "Now hurry up and finish decommissioning the old simulator so you can come up and put _me_ down for my nap."

Flouncing away back towards the headquarters building as Vegeta clenched his jaw and blushed in mortified consternation while Piccolo smirked smugly at the proud Saiyan's expense, Bulma couldn't help shoot her mercurial lover a flirty wink before entering the building.

"It's so nice to see you housebroken, Vegeta. Domesticity suits you," Piccolo sardonically remarked and smirked down at the shorter man, adding as a jab, "I'll leave you to do your chores then."

Before letting him turm to leave, however, Vegeta reined in his mortification in order to scoff, "Oh? Before you go, you should have a piece of chocolate. Looks like the woman left some over on the picnic table."

Stiffening comically, Piccolo glowered over his cape-festooned shoulder as mortified lines etched beneath his eye. "I don't _eat_ that—"

"That's not what I heard," Vegeta acerbically drawled, smirking now. "Personally, it doesn't do it for me, but if it revs your engines—"

"Just shut the hell up already," Piccolo barked as a purple blush crept over the bridge of his nose as he squared his broad shoulders and crossed his arms tighter. "I won't comment on your business if you keep your mouth shut about mine," he sulkily grumbled, shooting Vegeta a sharp glare.

Grunting humorously, Vegeta relented. "Fair trade, Namek."

"Why did Sofia come to Capsule Corp anyway?" Piccolo ventured, hoping the truce would allow him some leeway with the stubborn Saiyan prince.

"She asked Bulma for a favor with some arrangements. I didn't bother listening to the details," Vegeta responded, giving a one-shoulder shrug.

Piccolo grunted, curious. 'Just what could she need?'

'Go ask her!' Nail retorted glibly.

Deciding he was done with the chitchat, Vegeta went to continue his 'chore', when Piccolo inquired, "What're you going to do with that Gravity Simulator?"

Glancing back, Vegeta rumbled, "Most likely encapsulate it and have it collect dust on Bulma's shelf in the lab. Why?"

* * *

The horizon line was beginning to ignite with the waning rays of dusk, ebbing like mercurial fire along the outlines of the developing cityscape. Sitting on the cliff side, Trunks watched as the signs of life filled the burgeoning Western Capital after over a decade of combating human extinction at the hands of the Androids from his time.

It'd been three years since he'd returned to his own timeline, and only a week after he'd destroyed the version of Cell that would've killed him and stolen the Time Machine to stow away to the past. Lounging against the boulder at his back, the lavender-haired fighter let his foot sway to the beat of the song he was listening to as he glanced back down at the treasure trove of gifts Sofia had encapsulated for him. Her old CD player was snugly secured in his inside jacket pocket, headphones over his ears and the case filled with music albums in every available sleeve rested open against his thigh. As was his habit in quiet, solitary moments, he'd reread her note that had been folded around the stack of glossy pictures she'd developed for him.

_Trunks – I hope these give you a little comfort and peace. Stay cool and remember the good ol' days, because you've helped make them good. And if you have trouble reminiscing, these should help! Love, Sofia. P.S. – I made you a mixtape called_ The Trunks Tracks _for the days you need to know how badass you are._

His blue gaze lingered on the silly happy face she drew at the end of the postscript before chuckling and tucking the note back into safekeeping so he could sort through the photos for the hundredth time. He couldn't believe she'd been able to take so many photos. There were pictures from the party, even a photo of his father sleeping with his younger version also napping cuddled up against his chest. Another was a picture of him in the kitchen holding his baby self, and so many more. He had two favorites: One was of his father glancing from afar at his mother, with a tentative, albeit warm affection in his usually surly dark eyes. The other was a 'selfie' Sofia and he took at the top of Billie's Burger Joint. Leaning in close, Sofia was grinning brilliantly, arm tossed around his shoulders while the breeze tussled both their long manes around them. Her crimson eyes were twinkling like rubies under sunlight, while his own cerulean gaze was carefree and warm, recalling he smirked when she'd cheekily called out, "Say Super Saiyan!" before snapping the photo.

Collecting the photos and returning them and the rest of the mementos to their capsule, Trunks continued to listen to the mix she'd made for him. He was halfway in when he decided to fly back home, having promised to help his mother set up for the carnival celebrations outside of the old Capsule Corp headquarters building. With the Androids defeated, the people of Earth had been making strides rebuilding the world. Survivors who'd gone underground were slowly surfacing to find opportunity and hope. As he flew, he saw how West City was alive with activity. The sight heartened him, filling him with a sense of peace as he neared the sector of the city that was becoming more bustling with people converging to celebrate the three-year anniversary since the Androids were defeated.

Landing in an alleyway so he could walk with the crowd the rest of the way, he listened to the track, hands in his jacket pockets as he casually loped along and saw smiling faces and excited groups heading over to the food stands lining the outer perimeter of the plaza in front of his childhood home. Glancing around, he saw people young and old amassing as laughter filled the streets. Spotting his mother, he saw her chatting pleasantly with someone. When the crowd cleared, his heart skipped a beat when he saw the back of the individual she was facing. The woman had long, dark hair down her back, and the outline of her body gave him déjà vu. _No way!_

Pulling his headphones down to hang around his neck, Trunks ambled around people to get closer. The woman was wearing tall combat boots tucked into dark green fatigues and a fitted teal coat. _Could it really be—?_

As he approached, Bulma noticed him and smiled, waving him over. "Trunks! I'd like you to meet someone," his mother exclaimed. Just as he neard, he gulped as the woman turned around. His mind watched almost in slow motion as the dark-haired woman turned and revealed beautiful, almond-shaped eyes, blunt-cut bangs and a fair countenance with rouged lips. Unlike the crimson gaze he'd expected, her eyes were a dark obsidian color that gleamed at him under the dusky sky. "This is Mai. She's a resistance commander who helped ferry survivors out of the cities when the Androids were still around," Bulma introduced, not catching the startled look her handsome son had quickly submerged by blinking his stupefaction away as the introduction sunk in. "Mai, this is my son, Trunks."

Mai gave Trunks a dazzling smile as she extended her hand to him. "It's very nice to meet you! I've heard so much about you and all the good you've done," when Trunks dimly shook his head and took her hand, holding it gently in his warm grip, she added, "Is something funny on my face?"

"Huh? Oh—not at all! Sorry, you just reminded me of someone," Trunks corrected as he smiled and shook her hand.

"Mai's going to be staying in West City to help refugees come back and rebuild, so we'll be working together to organize a city council to get life back on track here," Bulma explained, now catching on that her only child seemed to be smitten with the dark-haired woman.

"That's great! I'm glad," Trunks remarked charismatically, smiling handsomely. Mai had to divert her expression as to hide the sudden pang of blush that heated her fair features. "Oh, that insignia on your jacket reminds me of a dragon ball. Are you familiar with them?"

"Huh? Oh—! This old patch?" Mai goofily pointed to her jacket's right sleeve, where a yellow circle with a large red star was stitched to it. "It's a relic to my old days of running around exploring and hunting for them," she replied, laughing as she added, "But since they turned to stone, I gave up that racket ages ago."

Chuckling, Trunks caught his mother's knowing look and blushed. "There's some people I need to chat with way over there, so I'll leave you two to get to know each other better!" the crafty genius chortled as she slid comically away, rushing off so Trunks and Mai could have their moment.

Scratching the back of his head and laughing nervously at his mother's hasty exit, Trunks drawled, "So, would you like to get something to eat? I saw some tasty treats on my way over."

"Sure!" Mai smiled and walked alongside him towards the food stands, admiring his chiseled looks and kind blue eyes. "Can I ask? Is that music you're listening to?"

"Oh yeah!" Trunks forgot he'd pulled his headphones off but hadn't turned the player off. "A friend of mine gave it to me."

"I can't remember the last time I heard music," Mai's eyes twinkled beautifully as she smiled up at him.

Trunks' heart skipped a beat again, and before he knew it, he was yanking his headphones free from around his neck to offer them to her. "Well, take it out for a spin!"

As they walked and talked, Mai and Trunks found kindred spirits in one another after a long, solitary life of fighting to survive, and relished every moment with each other, especially as they shared kushi-dangos and held a headphone up to their ears and leaned close on a park bench, listening to the last song on The Trunk Tracks – a song conveying how wonderful life was while they were in the world.

The future was secured – for now – and the prospect of something wonderful and new seemed achievable for the first time in a very long time.


	17. Dazzling Convergence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are - at the last chapter! Thank you to everyone who has read and kindly left comments. This chapter is rampant with fluff, hope and yes - a healthy helping of smut.

"Speech" 'Telepathy' _Thought_ _*Reminiscing*_

The birds were chirping merrily in the tree canopies above and all around him as he made his way towards the secluded clearing he hadn't been in since the night before his birthday. Several miles away from the sleepy valley the Son cottage was nestled in, and high above many of the mountain ranges and bluffs that made up the inner rim of Mt. Paozu, the small haven was where he and Sofia would rendezvous when they wanted to stay close. There'd been many a night that they'd sleep under the stars together, and now he wondered what would've brought his twin star to the secret hideaway. Once he landed on the promontory, he picked his path towards the hidden haven, just beyond the fronds and trees.

Emerging into the center of the clearing, Piccolo saw Sofia had collected their sleeping bag and lantern – stowing them next to her small backpack and against a tree while she was pacing a sector of the clearing, as if measuring the space as she murmured to herself. The sun's rays were beaming down and framing her and the soft grass around her, causing him to smile as he gazed at her.

"What's got you coming out here, pray tell?" he rumbled warmly, earning her to spin and see him standing just in the shade of one of the dimly lit corners of the clearing, where the interwoven tree canopies framed out the intrusive rays that spilled freely over the quadrant she was standing in. Her crimson eyes twinkled as she smiled at him, that brilliant smile that always made that zinging feeling zip through his veins and his heart swell in his chest.

Just when he was relishing the sight of her looking like a sultry sprite, Sofia cut the distance between them by sprinting over and leaping at him, arms circling around his neck and laughing as he swung her effortlessly around in his arms before be pulled her close and allowed her to wrap her legs around his waist. Anchored against his muscled body, she kissed him with the pining desire she'd been simmering with since the morning he left for the Lookout. Cape fluttering behind him from the brisk swinging about, he let her slide down the front his body, keeping his hands around her hips as he dipped down to follow her retreating lips.

"Mmm, I missed you," she murmured against his lips.

"It would seem so," he groused in a velvety baritone that made her shiver as she leaned against him and let him nuzzle the top of her head. "So? You gonna answer my question or leave me wondering?"

Pulling away to grin up at him, she took his hands and pulled him along with her as she backpedaled to the sunlit section of the clearing. "Well, I was taking measurements," she remarked as she turned towards the grassy space in between the lush, cool terrain and mused, "What do you think? We could set a house back this way and still have enough room for a front porch – or maybe for a balcony?"

Sobering, Piccolo raised a brow ridge. "A house? Here?"

Brushing her long bangs behind her ears after the breeze tussled her loose mane, Sofia excitedly spun and gestured, "Yeah! I said I'd find somewhere for just us, and we've always gravitated to this spot. The river is just yonder, there's no way anyone who can't fly can traverse up to this end of the terrain, so it's secluded, and we'd be close to Gohan—"

"…You'd want to live here?" Piccolo marveled, his tone cool but surprised.

"Well," Sofia hesitated, keeping the serene smile on her face as she teased, "I need _somewhere_ for you and I to call home. At least for the days you're not up on the Lookout training Dende. I don't think we can get away with hooking up in Goku's old hut again—"

Piccolo realized she'd been thinking about this since he'd left, and that she had not presumed a living arrangement where they'd be together 24/7, so she'd come up with the next best thing and was hoping it would please him. The swell of endearing love and warmth overwhelmed him. His gaze softened as he listened to her ramble on, trying to suppress the urge to whisk her up and kiss her breathless.

"—I asked Bulma about helping me out with the specs for whatever kind of Capsule Corp house we want to design! And, she said I can special order a bed big enough for you to sleep in without having your legs dangle off the edge," she forged on, playful as she winked at him and gave him a fangy smirk.

"So those are the arrangements you went to Capsule Corp for?" Piccolo inquired rhetorically as he returned her smirk and internally cursed himself. Of course she would be proactive and plan such a thoughtful surprise.

"Yeah! It'll take some time, but we can pick out what we want," Sofia remarked sweetly as she slinked affectionately against him. "Unless, you don't like it?"

The tentative tenor of her voice made him exhale through his nose as he encircled her waist with his strong, sculpted arms. He felt like a complete jerk for not having thought of how considerate and loving she would be to come up with her own ideas for arrangements. Sobering, he leaned close and quelled her uncertainty by murmuring against her temple, "Before I answer that, I want to bring you up to the Lookout. Dende wants to show you something he needs your help on."

"My help?" Delicate brow furrowing in wonder, Sofia watched as he went and encapsulated the camping materials she had set aside before handing them to her for storing in her trusty backpack. "You're not going to give me any hints?" she inquired and quirked a delicate eyebrow up at him when he just smirked. "Ok…but I have a surprise for you too," she remarked mischievously as she tossed her backpack strap over one shoulder.

"You've been full of surprises, huh. This, getting that jackass Hercule to do right by Son, and now something else?" he remarked with a gravelly edge that was softened by his smile as he took her into his arms again and squeezed his arms around her waist affectionately.

"Hercule made good?" she asked, blinking in surprise.

"Yeah. A suitcase bursting with stacks of Zeni was delivered this morning. Chi-Chi was so over the moon, she actually hugged me—"

"No way!" she giggled, excited. "That's awesome—I'm so glad Hercule came through," she laughed and hugged him, earning a dry grunt from him before he chuckled. Relishing the vibration of his baritone rumbling against her as she inhaled a cleansing breath, feeling at home in his arms and warmed by his scent. "I'll have to tell Chi-Chi to keep her hands off of you, or else," she drawled in a smoky tone, the kind of tone that always made heat pool in his gut and zip down to his groin. "You're all _mine,_ after all."

 _Fuck…why does her possessive tone have such an effect on me?_ Piccolo wondered idly, internally shaking his head sardonically as he focused on the feeling of her hands as they sculpted up his sides before she slipped them under his cape to caress his back, up to cup his shoulder blades just as she stood on the tips of her toes to trail a kiss across his lips.

"Oh yeah? So should I be cool with both versions of Trunks kissing you on the lips?" he husked sharply, but the gravelly tone he used caused excitement to flutter in her tummy. "You belong to only _me_ , don't you?"

"I've been meaning to mention that," she breathed in a silly lilt, eyes fluttering as he cupped his large, warm palm along her cheek, tipping her face up as he growled at that. "The only lips I want on me are yours," she murmured in a sigh, tingling with arousal for him, especially when he buried his face in the crook of her neck and hummed against her skin.

He was tempted to pick her up and peel her out of her tight shirt and leggings just so he could watch her stretch and writhe under him while the sun's rays washed down on them through the tree canopies in the clearing, but he knew Dende was expecting them, so he reluctantly reined his libido in and nudged her affectionately with his chin along the side of her temple as he husked, "Can your surprise wait until we get to the Lookout?"

Humming slyly, she leaned back on the balls of her heels to give him a beaming grin, as she chortled, "No need to wait. I can get us there with the surprise."

Grunting in confusion, Piccolo felt her grab the fabric of the back of his gi just as she raised her fore and middle fingers to extend them up to her forehead. Slowly realizing what she was going to do, he began to exclaim, "Is that—?!" just as she closed her eyes, honed in on the ki signature, and in a flash, winked them both out of sight from the clearing to instantly transmit them to the top of the Lookout—

Where they unceremoniously teleported right in the middle of a flowerbed Mr. Popo was in the middle of watering before he balked and fell backwards from the sudden arrival.

Stumbling to pry their feet from the flowerbed and not fall over together, Piccolo caught Sofia and whisked her up into his arms just as he backpedaled onto the tiled courtyard floor.

"My word, you gave me a start!" Mr. Popo exclaimed as he stared with wide round eyes up at the twin stars.

"Ah, sorry! I still haven't finessed the homing end of the transmission, so I literally teleport in right on top of the ki signature of the person I zeroed in on," Sofia apologized and sweatdropped as Piccolo let her down.

"Goku taught you Instant Transmission?!" Piccolo was floored, having wondered how she would manage her plans for the fighter to make it to Otherworld, but not having thought he'd have taught her the teleportation technique, with such a short time to learn it.

"Yep. Surprise!" she dramatically posed and earned a goofy look from Piccolo while Mr. Popo silently fretted about the flowers they'd unintentionally trampled.

"Oh, you're already here!"

Turning, Sofia and Piccolo watched Dende rush over from the palace's entrance to greet them. Sans-staff, he was able to briskly amble over, his excitement palpable as he smiled at them while darting a glance at the ebony genie.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting," Piccolo remarked as he led Sofia towards the direction Dende had come from with his fingertips gently pressing at the back of her shoulder to guide her along.

"Not a problem! I had some extra time to put some finishing touches together," Dende beamed merrily as he gestured for them to follow him into the palace. As he set off into the grand entrance, Sofia glanced up at Piccolo, who kept mum about what this was all about, and looked back at Mr. Popo for any hint. The ebony genie gave up on fretting over the flowers and pleasantly followed close behind them as Dende jovially piped, "Piccolo mentioned that Gohan is going to be a big brother! I'm so excited for him."

"Yep! And Goku's in Otherworld training in the meantime," she remarked congenially as she walked the corridors. She absently noticed they'd gone up a set of stairs, which was a different feature than she'd remembered previously within the palace, as were the wide hallways with the iconic patterned tiling along the bottom and tops of the walls. Glancing sidelong at Piccolo, she brushed her hand against the back of his. He glanced down at her and took her hand, surprising her with his rugged smirk and a telling twinkle in his eye. "So you've been getting used to the palace and learning your way around? I don't recall ever being in this part of the building…"

"Yes, that's because we've sort of reconfigured the interior. Made it less, uh, foreboding, yawning and sparse," Dende retorted as he led them to turn the corner that opened to another corridor that had one hallway across from them and another behind them. "That leads out to a new entry way that spirals down to the interior courtyard with the fountain," the young Namekian pointed before gesturing to the other hallway, "And that now is a shortcut to the kitchen and palace pantry, while this," he paused as he walked forward and stood in front of a familiar tall, wooden door. "This is something I need your help with," the new guardian remarked.

Brows furrowing, Sofia finally recognized the door. When Dende gestured for her to go ahead, she opened the door and let it swing ajar to reveal a room she'd entered a couple of weeks prior, but that did not really resemble the room as she last recalled it. She felt Piccolo's hand on her shoulder, so she glance up at him, blinking bemusedly at his stoic stare. Intrigued, she walked into the room. It opened up first to what she would consider a foyer, with a credenza along the wall before the room widened out beyond. Walking in, she realized the ceilings were still the vaulted dome with the skylight she remembered, but the mirror was no longer in the middle of an empty room. Instead, the foyer opened up to a large sitting area with wooden bookshelves – one against the wall on one side of an inviting, plush violet-colored couch with a carved coffee table with glass top in front of it and a side table tucked next to it, while another flanked the adjacent wall from the couch. Lovely fuchsia orchid in a delicate pot decorated the center of the table. Ahead of her, a curved wall draped with what looked like a tapestry curtain flanked a large portion of the wall, until she turned where she stood to her right. She was wowed by the open floor plan of foyer-to-sitting area-to bedroom with an entranceway that looked like led into a large walking closet with more beyond the threshold. The bed was enormous – sitting up high and dressed with plush, white bedding and comfortable-looking pillows against an intricately-carved lattice headboard, flanked by a nightstand on either side and floating lantern pendants for lamps. Mystified, Sofia finally turned back to the foyer, where Piccolo was watching her; arms crossed with a teasing smile quirking his lips.

'Oh, she's overcome!' Kami mused, pleased.

'I knew she'd be floored,' Nail chortled smugly, delighted to see Piccolo's twin star incredulous and overawed.

"I-I don't understand. Isn't this the room Kami stored the mirror? It looks so different," Sofia inquired, crimson eyes wide as she finally noticed Dende happily smiling from ear to ear while Mr. Popo stood behind the new guardian with a pleasant expression on his ebony features.

"It is. Do you notice anything else?" Piccolo remarked, and watched as she curiously cocked her head at him before doing another slow turn to glance about at the sprawling room again. Now, on second inspection, she noticed all the decorations. Her books, keepsakes and mementos she'd collected over the last 3 years on her travels with her twin star filled the large, timelessly styled bookshelves, stood placed on the side table, decorating the top of the credenza, and finally, the pillows lining the couch and decorating the bed. Slowly, her expression blossomed beautifully before him. First, her eyes flared with disbelief as her lips parted in silent questioning before she absently pulled her backpack over the front of her shoulder to dig into it, only to find her capsule case with all the storage capsules that had held her collection of belongings missing. When she looked back at Piccolo again, her crimson eyes were trembling with gleaming thrill, her disbelieving emotion bleeding away as her serene smile softened her features.

"Well? What do you think?" Dende finally exuberantly piped, unable to hold his excitement in anymore. "Is it everything you've wanted?"

Letting her backpack drop to the ground next to her feet, Sofia held back the tears that were threatening to breach up her throat and cascade from her eyes as she rushed forward and into Piccolo's arms, hugging him with every ounce of love, relief and gratitude in her being.

"I-how-when did you—?" she mumbled against him as he hoisted her up and let her arms wrap instinctually around his neck, allowing him to nuzzle her just under her jaw. "It's absolutely perfect," she whispered, her breath hitching as happy tears escaped her eyes when she squeezed them tight after Piccolo leaned in and kissed her.

Dende cheered and bounced from foot to foot, side to side when Sofia gazed lovingly at him. "Then it's official! You and Piccolo will live at the Lookout," he exclaimed and rushed over to catch her in a platonic hug. Overcome, Sofia hugged the young Namekian back, her warm embrace everything he'd hoped the surprise would engender. Dende couldn't help but grin as he added, "And if you like this, wait til you see your bathroom."

Flummoxed, Sofia blinked at the shorter Namekian as Piccolo offered her his hand and helped her stand before leading her back towards the bedroom to go into the entranceway adjacent to it on the right. The room was a spacious walk-in closet that was empty, save for another potted blush-colored orchid sitting on top of the large marble island at the center of the closet that had hidden drawers on either side. Tucked in the back corner of the closet was the standing, intricately carved mirror – seeming to be relegated to simple decoration and utility now. Across from the entrance of the closet was yet another entrance that led into a jaw-dropping bathroom. Completely covered in white, gleaming marble, the room opened up to yet more domed ceiling with a skylight that filled the room with natural light. Gasping, she took in the sprawling, large bathtub along the length of the room, then the square glass-walled shower stall with a polished rainforest showerhead, and wandered towards the dual sink vanity counter with intricately carved mirrors above the gleaming, sparkling countertops across from the wall with the bathtub. Sofia gaped as she took in the room, stunned by how lavish and opulent it felt. There was even a little privacy alcove that hid the commode from where anyone could see when first walking in to the door-less room.

Dende proudly followed them in, giggling at the rapt expression on Sofia's face. "I especially had fun making this room," he offered.

"You did a great job, Dende. I think this is the longest she's been speechless, ever," Piccolo quipped, earning Sofia's silly scoff as she whirled on him and the younger Namekian.

"How did you do this?! This legit is like, my dream," she caressed the marble countertop before waltzing over to appraise the large, deep tub.

"That's because I saw it in your mind. Piccolo taught me how to reconfigure the palace and magically build out the space, and with your mind's visuals of the perfect living quarters, we crafted this apartment for you both—" Dende explained.

"But I thought it was prohibited to have non-divinities live in the palace?" Sofia interjected, concerned as she glanced between him and Piccolo. "I don't want to impose or cause any issues—"

"Oh, no need to worry," Mr. Popo interjected as he came into the room with his own housewarming gift – a lovely violet and white orchid he placed on the vanity between the two sinks. "The palace is what the guardian makes it, and there is no specific prohibition to having non-deities reside on the Lookout. Also, Piccolo is your twin star, so if he's allowed to remain here to guide the new guardian, you have the same status," the ebony genie explained, reassuring Sofia by platonically squeezing her hand. "And I'll finally have someone I can cook for and with! It's wonderful to have you here."

Heart fluttering with something she couldn't even articulate, Sofia hugged the magical being before turning and wryly poking Piccolo in the middle of the chest. "You've been planning this whole thing and had me worrying—stressing for where you'd be willing to shack up with me, only to blow me away with this," her eyes narrowed sultrily at him. "You know what this means, right?"

Brow ridges rising slightly, Piccolo muttered, "You don't need to trouble yourself anymore?"

"That, and I am going to take my time rocking your world so hard, and love on you, _and_ drive you wild, because you're wonderful and everything I've ever wished for, got it?" she purred and slinked against him, undeterred that Earth's guardian and his attendant were in the room – literally – with them.

The mix of mortification and arousal that flooded Piccolo was delirious and frustrating, but he managed to suppress his violet flush from tinting his emerald features as he deadpanned, "I'm glad you like your surprise, Sofia."

"I _love_ it, Piccolo," she murmured in that smoky tone, which sent heat to shoot down his body. "And I love you," she added in a breathy sigh as she stood on her tippy toes to kiss his lips tenderly.

Dende was fascinated by the display, no judgment in his curious expression even while Mr. Popo dutifully – albeit comically – steered the young guardian to face the opposite direction before leading him out of the room so as to give the twin stars their privacy. "Let's leave them to settle in, shall we? I have a nice tea we can enjoy out in the courtyard."

Once they were alone, Piccolo dragged his strong palms down her sides to caress her curves as he growled, "You are _insatiable_."

"For you, yes," she sighed as she pulled him down by the front of his gi to meet her lips for a hungry, loving kiss. Piccolo obliged, deepening the kiss when she slinked her hands to cup the back of his neck and anchored her body against his. 'Mmm, I can't wait to christen every single corner—'

Piccolo broke away from their kiss, breath ragged as his cheekbones flushed at the salacious suggestion. "Wait. Before we get carried away, there's one more surprise," he groused against her lips, startling her to wryly quirk her head to the side as he took her hand and pulled her along to follow him out of the bathroom, through the walk-in closet, back into the larger living space where the curved, tapestry-draped wall was.

Directing her to stand in front of the drapery, Piccolo went to the side of the wall closest to their bed and pulled an unseen, woven drawstring. As if by whimsy, the tapestry parted to reveal itself to instead be a decorative curtain that hid a curved, stone balcony that weaved along the open façade. Beyond the balcony was the back of the palace, where a courtyard filled with topiaries and manicured rose bushes of every variety spanned a tight circumference, just past the banister below. The blue sky sprawled with the lazy flutter of clouds that ambled by just above and beyond the edge of the Lookout. A delicate, fresh breeze curled up around and carried the fragrance of the garden below up to her – leaving Sofia to wondrously walk out and stand at the stone-carved railing of the balcony and gaze out at the majesty.

"Popo helped with the garden. He knows you're partial to roses," Piccolo rumbled affectionately against her temple when he came to stand beside her.

"Piccolo—" her voice hiccupped from the knot of overwhelming adoration that caught in the back of her throat. When he encircled her waist with one arm and cupped the side of her face, Sofia's gaze softened as his eyes roved over her features, cataloguing and relishing the overflow of emotion that was radiating from her. "It bears repeating: I love you, Piccolo."

Smirking, he leaned close, brushing his lips teasingly against hers before husking, "I know." Snickering, she kissed him, wrapping her arms around him and allowing him to dip her in that way that made her toes curl and her melt against him. Pulling away, he nuzzled her temple, murmuring firmly, "I will always love you. I want you to be by my side here, because I never plan to leave yours."

"You don't know how happy that makes me," she whispered, a tear escaping her eye, slipping down her cheek. She giggled when he wiped it away with his thumb before pulling her into an indulgent hug. "I could stay here forever with you."

His heart swelled in his chest at that, every fiber of his soul warmed and sated with his arms holding her to him as she leaned affectionately against him, gazing out at the world beyond their balcony.

"We're not having sex out here," he tersely quipped, earning a swat from Sofia against the top of his bicep. "I gotta draw the line somewhere," he drawled, his tone gravelly as he added in a growl, "But everywhere else is fair game."

Sofia felt weak in the knees at his words, so she turned in his arms and stared up at him through her long lashes. "You sound-proofed the walls, right?" she coquettishly asked, before giving him an angelic wink.

"Yes. Dende's quarters are on the west side of the palace anyway," he chuckled. "While tempting, the thought of me bending you over this banister is just too indecent for the Lookout, that's all," he purred, punctuating his comment be pressing her against the banister before lifting her to sit on the wide ledge of the balcony so he could stand between her open legs.

Now sitting up on the wide stone banister, she was nose to nose with him as she draped her arms around her cape-canopied shoulders and affectionately squeezed the insides of her knees against his sides. "Oh, I agree. It would be so indecent for you to strip me down, sit me precariously on this ledge even, and make love to me where anyone could see," she faux placated while conjuring the tantalizing visuals for Piccolo to grunt in intrigue as he cupped his strong hands to hold her to him.

"Much…too indecent, yes," he husked, already riled up. His eyes were burning onyx orbs as they settled on her lips before flickering up to her crimson spheres as they twinkled like polished rubies under the sunny day. His hand trailed from her back to around the curve of her hip, down the side of her thigh before caressing up to trace the curve of her body as he husked, "But I suppose touching and kissing while out here isn't too risqué…"

"In that case," Sofia sighed as she yielded to his strong hands as they caressed and rubbed her into a titillating desire, gasping when one hand slipped up inside her shirt and fondled her breast over the delicate fabric of her bra. "-Perhaps I could oblige that," she continued after her breath hitched from his fingers tenderly pinching her nipple after cupping his warm hand around her bared breast. He leaned in and kissed her jaw, trailing his mouth along her pulse before dipping lower to teasingly trace the tip of his tongue up her throat in time with the flicking of his thumb over her taut nipple.

Heat was clenching between her thighs at his foreplay, leaving her acutely aware of how badly she wanted to tease him right back before she settles his hard, throbbing length into her quivering, burning core. She gave him a look that made him pause and his pulse race as she panted from his enticement, exciting him more. "…Maybe I was being premature—"

"Piccolo. Take me to bed. Right now," Sofia murmured, cutting his flirty quip; her tone firm yet silky as she squeezed her knees against him and gripped her fingers to twist into the soft-yet-durable cape fabric that covered his weighted shoulder pads for emphasis as she pressed her lips together, wetting them in time with her gaze narrowing provocatively at him.

He was instantly hard. The effect of her command and possessive gaze was light a thunderbolt that struck a pulsing need in the core of his being, leaving him physically throbbing to be inside her.

Picking her up and holding her to press against his torso as she wrapped her legs around his waist, he effortlessly carried her from the balcony into their new abode, taking her to their bed and tossing her onto it as he hurriedly took his turban off and yanked his weighted, caped shoulder pads off swiftly to be discarded to the side while he kicked his moccasins off. She hadn't even finished bouncing on the surface before he was pulling his purple gi top off, pausing at his blue sash when Sofia stretched out on the bed and practically melted against the heavenly surface.

"Oh. My. GOD," she gasped as she curled and stretched in rapture, rolling from one side to another on the large mattress as she fawned, "This _bed_! How is it this comfortable?" Sweatdropping comically as he watched her swim across the surface and caterpillar slink up towards the headboard to bury her face in the pillows, Piccolo's antennae vacillated as he cocked his head to the side at a specific moan of delight from her as she squirmed impishly against the assorted cozy bedding. Hurriedly kicking her sneakers and socks off, Sofia tossed herself onto her back into the pillows and began flailing her arms and legs as if she was drawing a snow angel. Her bare feet twisted into the comforter with joy as she sighed merrily, "I could live in this bed _forever_!"

"…I'm glad you like it," he laconically rumbled as he leaned against the foot of the bed and tried not to scowl at the raging hard on he was now stuck with, his arousal and desire for her on slow burn as she spun herself onto her knees before hopping up to jump on the bouncing, soft yet firm mattress. Ruefully, he tried to glare at her, but only succeeded in watching her breasts bounce up and down from her jumping. _Fuck…_

Exhaling a pleased sigh, Sofia flounced down to the bed and stretched like a nubile minx before him, tossing her hair to drape around her as she smiled and glanced over at him. "And it's _massive_! No dangling off the side for you—"

Her heart skipped a beat at the hungry look in his eyes, and before she could comically apologize for getting distracted by other pleasures, Piccolo wrapped his hand around one of her ankles and possessively pulled her to slink down from the head of the bed to the foot of it, earning a breathy yelp from her before he yanked her shirt off and exposed her torso to his wanton ministrations. Hooking his thumbs into her leggings and stripping them off with a swift yank, Piccolo loomed over her, hands and body dwarfing hers as he crowded down to press her against the bed. Gasping, Sofia arched against his mouth as he freed a breast from the cup of her bra and laved his tongue against her taut nipple while he fumbled with the clasp at her back. Unhooking it, the undergarment was tossed to join the rest of her clothes as he pressed his face against her cleavage and nuzzled their valley, feeling his cheeks burn from the blush of lust that spiked through him at feeling her soft, supple skin against him.

Sofia groaned when his hands reverently cupped her curves before working their way down to her hips, caressing the inside of her thighs as he spread them apart so he could settle between them. Rubbing his ears teasingly as he growled and buried his face against her tits, she shivered when his warm, silky tongue laved up her sternum before the tip licked her clavicle, wandering further up to lick at her pulse before he nipped delicately at the skin.

Eyes squeezing shut, she fixated on the feeling of his fingers and the teasing skimming of his antennae as they brushed against her tingling skin. His lips trailed down before he pressed the flat of his tongue against her navel while his hands roved. The silky, smooth flesh of her thighs and crotch grew warm from his touch, leaving her panting and feeling ignited when his palms teasingly groped her lithe inner thighs before his thumbs rubbed at her clothed crotch. When his fingers trailed along her soft cleft of her slit through her flimsy, thin underwear, Piccolo growled at feeling how excited she was. The slick, damp moisture against his fingers through the fabric made his cock harden even more, leaving his body feeling hot and buzzing.

"You getting wet for me like this is what I've been thinking about for days," he husked in a gravelly tone, his voice thick with arousal as he curved his index and middle finger around and under the fabric to press against her soft, slick folds before parting them and pressing the strong, dense digits expertly into her.

"Ah-mmph!" Sofia whimpered before growing taut up from the bed as his fingers began to pump in deft and deep strokes, rubbing her inner walls before curving them upwards. Gasping, she felt engulfed in sensation and yearning as his thumb pressed against her clit to rub in time with his fingers inside her pussy and the cupping of his other hand on one breast while he leaned over and pressed his lips around the nipple of the other. "Ahh!" she cried out when his tongue caressed her taut flesh while his mouth suckled possessively, causing her to arch against him and for his fingers to brush the hypersensitive nerves deep inside her core.

Piccolo couldn't take it anymore. He wanted _desperately_ to be inside her. Leaning back, he watched while she whimpered at his retreating mouth and the receding of his fingers as he eased them out of her tight, pulsing sheath, leaving her arching sinfully for more before him. Seeing her beautiful wet inviting flesh made him want to bury his face in between her legs and use his tongue to bring her to orgasm, but his cock was throbbing painfully in the confine of his martial arts gi trousers, so he compromised with himself.

Hurriedly, he yanked the remaining garment off of her with one hand, then went to undo his sash while he took his slick fingers and placed them in his mouth, humming around them at the taste of her. Kicking off his remaining clothes to be in his nude glory before her, he finished licking his fingers clean before realizing she'd been watching him. Her crimson eyes were glazed with desire, lips parted as she panted softly before him. The flush of heat that burned across his cheeks was only deepened when she scooted to the edge of the bed and palmed his thick, _very large_ , hardened cock in her hand and began to reverently trace her fingertips teasingly along the underside before wrapping her palm fully around it and stroking from base to tip.

"F-fuck—" Piccolo hitched gruffly, his tone like velvet over steel as he growled, "You're going to drive me to the edge before I'm even inside you…"

"Get inside me then," she murmured in a breathy command, eyes a glossy garnet hue glowing up at him as she stroked him promiscuously whilst she touched herself, long delicate fingers rubbing at her damp folds while the curve of her palm pressed against her clitoris.

It was enough to make the fire in his belly become an inferno, pushing him to pick her up and toss her to the head of the bed as he pounced up onto the surface to gather her onto his lap so he could guide himself to her warm, tight entrance before pressing his thick, pre-cum slicked head of his cock into her. The feeling of his ramrod erection always felt impossibly too much, _too_ big to her, stretching her body to a limit before her muscles contracted and accepted his throbbing, hardened manhood – as if remembering he belonged deep inside her like this and hugging around him lovingly, welcoming him home, not wanting to let go.

 _Oh f-fuck—_ Piccolo had to rein in all sensation before the overload frayed his resolve to keep himself grounded and _not_ lose control already.

"Piccolo," she mewled softly as he began to thrust in and out of her heat, stroking his throbbing cock expertly into an angle he knew would have her arching and clutching passionately to him. Her core fluttered from each of his thrusts, but when he pressed himself deep into her until their pelvises were flush, her sheath clenched down on the thick of him, causing her to arch and see stars burst in the backs of her eyes from the overwhelming yet _exquisite_ sensation of being filled to the hilt by him. His lips were suckling her pulse, fangs coming dangerously close to piercing her skin as the undulation of her hips meeting his thrusts caused him to groan against her skin. Fingers lacing into the back of her hair, Piccolo tilted her head back so he could lick up the column of her neck just as he slipped his other hand under her to anchor at the small of her back, where he tilted her hips into an angle that pushed the velvety weight of his cock to drag wetly out of her sheath before slamming back into her so that added pressure pressed flush against her pulsing clit.

Her euphoric reaction was like soaring music to his keenly pointed ears, compounded by her nails pressing into the back of his shoulders and her heels digging into his lower back. "Oh god—!" she cried out as he kept the same powerful pace, continuously brushing the hypersensitive cluster of pleasure nested inside her and putting the perfect amount of pressure against her now throbbing bud. "Piccolo, I-I'm g-gonna—!" she begins to warn in a hitching whimper.

"Come for me," he gruffly husked against her, brow furrowed in concentration, straining not to lose his own control prematurely.

His words sent a spike of arousal to course through her and tighten her muscles down against the onslaught of pleasure, leaving her to cry out – tossing her head back and arching her spine as her body reached bliss. Panting and trembling under him, she clung to his chiseled frame and drunkenly hummed into the longing, mostly-tongue-laced kiss when Piccolo pressed his warm mouth to hers. There was nothing more exquisite to her than having his weight on her and feeling his racing pulse as his body throbbed against her – _inside_ her.

Grunting in surprise when she pivoted her hips and rolled them so he'd end up on his back underneath her, Piccolo shuddered when she leaned down and took a quivering antenna into her mouth and suckled delicately on the appendage. He moaned deep in his chest, hands gripping her ass as she laved her tongue along the length before letting it slip free of her oral ministrations. Then, her lips were at the spot just under his jaw that always made his stomach clench and fluttering heat pool in his gut before zinging into his loins. Her hands were flat against his chest, palms preternaturally strong as she held him down while she rolled her hips in that punishingly _exquisite_ way that drove his cock so deep before her walls clenched possessively around his shaft, squeezing in a rhythm that tore a broken groan from him as he arched.

"Oh _fuck_ —!" he growled, his hands tightening on the curve of her ass, pointed white nails denting into her skin as he felt the pressure building in his body, that hot, quicksilver commotion of pleasure close to boiling over and igniting. "S-Sofia—!" he began to warn, pausing when she leaned back and arched in ecstasy at feeling his cock throb and pulse against the constricting muscles of her core. Piccolo watched her close her eyes and gasp, head tossed back and body glowing from the sun's rays peeking from the balcony and the skylight above. His mind registered the odd sense of déjà vu idly, until his eyes flinted down to where there bodies were joined, seeing how she rode his cock. The sight of glistening skin growing wetter as her pussy stroked and gripped him into the heat of her core was just too much.

He sat up to pull her against him just as he felt the dam about to break in him, holding her in his arms as he drove into her ever-tightening sheath over and over until she came undone again, her cry of pleasure echoing to the domed ceiling as her orgasm barreled through her. She clung to his shoulders, panting and whimpering at the overload as her body shuddered and trembled in his strong, warm embrace, core eagerly clamping down around him and begging for his release. Piccolo's grip was almost bruising as he moaned after slamming his cock home one last time and feeling her inner walls grip him, milking him of the orgasm he'd fought to keep at bay. The molten, silken heat of her accepted his own pulsing essence, filling with his warm spill and keeping possessive hold of him, not wanting to lose this fleetingly eternal sensation.

Falling back to the bed, they were both panting, skin hot and glistening with a sheen of sweat, their comingled fluids lubricating the hypersensitive friction of their bodies slipping apart as he pulled her down to lie next to him on the now-disheveled bedding. Her hand found his and intertwined her fingers with his as she concentrated on regaining her bearings after two raucous climaxes. He hummed and inhaled a long, sobering breath through his nose before exhaling it slowly and turning his head to look at her through a sated and contently hooded gaze. His antennae vacillated with his movements when he leaned over and kissed her temple, chuckling when her fingers squeezed his hand affectionately.

Lying naked next to each other, Sofia idly thought about how she could stay like this with him, for endless eternity, and hoped he felt the same.

"I do." Piccolo answered her loud thought out loud, startling her to turn her head and open her crimson eyes to gaze at him. His smirk was warm when he turned on his side so he could cup her cheek and lean in to kiss her chastely on her lips.

Her heart summersaulted in her chest. "I love you," she murmured against his lips before kissing him more, curling against his side when he combed his strong, tapered fingers through her hair before tangling them affectionately in the back of her head, soothingly massaging her there as she stretched her arm around his broad chest to languidly caress her fingers along his bare side.

"I love you too."

Sofia felt giddy joy fizzle and bubble in her spirit at his confident baritone declaration. Sidling against his body, she relaxed and got lost in the feel of being his and he being hers.

After a nice, gratified pause, where only their calming breathing and heartbeats filled the silence, Sofia tilted her head up to kiss his jaw. "I'll admit it. Your surprise was _way_ better than mine," she purred, smiling against his throat when he grunted assuredly.

Staring up at the ceiling, Piccolo smirked as he husked, "Well, I won't argue with that. Especially since…I have one more surprise for you."

Uncurling from his side to lie on her back, tilting her head, and shooting him a sidelong glance, Sofia raised a brow at him when his smug gaze flickered sideways to hers before his smirk broadened.

* * *

The pressure of the gravity pushing down on them was settling into a heavy shroud over their limbs, but they didn't let it dull their movements as they flew and clashed against each other. Their fists collided and sent out a reverberation that pushed them both back before she flipped herself back to put him on the defense. His body shifted to the side, anticipating the roundhouse kick and using her own momentum to fling her away. She caught herself and slid on her heels before spinning back towards him.

"You're not going to best me," he smugly shouted, falling back into his stance when she began to circle him. He was in the center of the chamber, sans his weighted gear, while she prowled around him. "The gravity's gonna adjust any minute—"

"I just need 30 seconds!" she competitively hissed as she sprinted at him, unleashing a flurry of combos that put him on the defensive, able to block each blow, but not return any. When he caught her punch and spun her away, he hadn't anticipated she'd cartwheel into a spinning breakdance combo that swung her legs expertly at him to sweep his feet out from under him and slam him hard onto his back, just as the gravity adjusted in the chamber and pressed down on him like a sack full of sand. She back flipped out of his retaliatory range just as he managed to flip back onto his feet, shakily.

Defiantly, Sofia grinned at him from across the chamber, managing to not hunch her frame against the punishing added gravity pressing down and hazing the atmosphere around them. "I did it in 15 instead. Still think I can't best you—ack!" she began to taunt when he suddenly outstretched his hand and extended his entire arm towards her, snapping the palm deftly around to lasso around her and pin her arms down at her sides before recoiling the limb back to its normal breadth so he could swing her into a headlock, back-first against his chest. "Gah—no fair! Ch-cheating!" she gasped as she struggled in his iron grip.

"Never let your boasting get ahead of your focus. All's fair in battle," Piccolo chuckled gruffly against her ear. "Told yah you couldn't best—whoa!" his goading drawl was interrupted by Sofia bearing down on her stance and reaching up around backwards to hook her hand behind his neck and pull to flip him over and down to the warm-tiled floor.

Adrenaline flaring in her veins, she growled and pounced down on him, using the adjustment of the chamber's gravity to her advantage. Sitting on his chest and pressing her grip around his wrists to anchor his arms down on the tiled floor, above his head, she panted as she smiled down at his sweat-sheened features. He blinked up at her – antennae wavering slightly – when she chuckled in that smoky tone that warmed his blood, the added gravity flattening his back compounded by her form weighing down like a vice that prevented any bucking movement. "Is this fair then, pray tell?" she hissed raggedly before lowering to kiss him.

Piccolo hummed into the kiss, tongue languidly caressing against hers as he balled up his fists and flexed his arms against the strong grip of her hands lacing around his red-seamed wrists. 'I've never made out with an opponent so…no,' he rumbled over their telepathic rapport.

She broke the kiss to press her forehead against his. 'Good thing I'm not your opponent then,' she snickered and batted her lashes at him after sitting up and releasing his wrists from her grip. However, she remained firmly seated on his chest. "Alright. Concede. I've bested you, babe," Sofia ordered in a singsong down at him.

Snorting, he gave her an amused look, onyx gaze searing as he roved it appreciatively down her body. The tight, ribbed maroon top contoured her breasts and made them even perkier – _if it's even possible_ – nipples studded under the weight of his gaze while the orange mesh panel at her midriff showed a tease of navel. The flexible, seamless maroon and black motto leggings were made for her form – literally, sculpting to her hips and strong, shapely legs that were currently caging his ribcage. The heat from between her thighs was from more than the extra exertion and pressure of the gravity around them, heels of her orange Capsule Corp-styled boots pressing against the sides of his waist when she adjusted her weight on him once he sat up and scooted her backwards to settle over his lap.

Feeling the heavy edge of his arousal press up against her through their clothing, Sofia bit her lower lip as a shiver coursed through her. His eyes were hooded as he smiled after wrapping his arms around her, pressing her down firmer against his lap. "I do _not_ concede," he growled, grunting when the gravity adjusted yet again and now felt like a stifling pressure swallowing them. Despite the shift, Piccolo ground her against his hard on, enjoying the gasp and mewl she tried to bite down on when he pressed his mouth over her pulse.

"Oh, this is _not_ fair!" she protested in a frustrated sigh, hair weighed down against her neck and temples as she reciprocated his grinding by undulating her hips against his lap, a cry hitching in the back of her throat when the heavy girth of his clothed erection pressed against her pulsing bud.

"And wearing this outfit's fair?!" he quipped in a gravelly purr, hands skimming down her sides, earning her to arch her chest against his. "There were 2 rules: No sex on the balcony _OR_ the gravity simulator. Now you're making me break _this_ rule too…"

Sofia laughed, undulating her hips in slow, deliberate circles over his lap and earning a broken groan to huff out of him. "I never agreed to the second one," she retorted in a smoky musing, head tilting flirtatiously at his 'Feh' and sardonic look. _If he only knew Vegeta and Bulma got it on tons of times in here, he'd make the rule permanent_ , she wryly thought. Humming, she purred, "In any case, this is _my_ gravity simulator, so I make the rules."

Piccolo hummed tersely at that as he palmed one of her breasts and rubbed at the nipple over the fabric of the top. "Serves me right for surprising you with it, then," he rumbled before adding in a murmur against her lips, "It was bound to happen after all these months, I suppose."

_*When Piccolo had surprised her nine months ago by taking her to the center of the Lookout's courtyard, pulling out a capsule and pressing the plunger before tossing it to the empty space between the two lanes of palm trees, Sofia hadn't understood what the surprise could be, until the puff of smoke dissipated and revealed the large sphere of the gravity simulator Vegeta had used prior to the new model built within the Capsule Corp headquarters building. Shocked, she'd asked Piccolo what he was doing with it, and felt bowled over when he'd simply retorted that rather than letting it be decommissioned, he'd asked Vegeta to gift it so she may train up on the Lookout. Completely touched by not only the selflessness of him asking someone he could not stand for such a gift, but doing so to make her happy, Sofia had thrown her arms around his neck and tackled him to the ground, showering him with kisses until he was blushing violet and muttering about now not needing to put up with her visiting Vegeta as much to train in the simulator.*_

Snickering at the memory, Sofia kissed along his jaw as she murmured scintillatingly, "This is the only place you haven't claimed me. And I just made a new rule: You have to do whatever I say while we're in here."

His hands tightened on her, the arousal coursing through him spiking like burning yearning into the pit of his gut before zinging lower. "I do, huh?" he husked, gaze narrowing hotly as his body craved claiming hers. She hummed in agreement, so he inquired, "And what do you want me to do?"

Eyes glowing at him, she gave him a searing look and ground down on him. "Me."

The tone she used for the simple reply made his cock throb in the confines of his gi trousers, straining to be released and thrust home into her silken sheath. Just as the dry humping session was about to get torrid and become a strip and sex session in altered gravity, the atmosphere in the chamber suddenly whirred down and dissipated, the overhead lights turning back to yellow fluorescents from the garish red warning lights of an activated simulator as the gravity stabilized and returned to normal. Startled, they both blinked at each other before glancing over at the gravity simulator's control panel.

"Did you set it on a timer?" Piccolo rumbled the query, brow ridge quirking when her brows furrowed and she shook her head. "Then—"

The sounds of the heavy metal simulator door being whirred open shocked them for mere seconds until it sprang open and Dende appeared in its threshold. "You guys!" Piccolo and Sofia sweatdropped, still in their provocative positions on the tiled floor of the simulator, but the young guardian didn't even bat an eye as he forged on, "Gohan needs your help!"

Rushing up to stand, Sofia was able to recover quicker from their previous foreplay as she zipped over to stand before Dende. "What? Help?! Oh—! Is Chi-Chi—?"

"Yeah! She's having contractions. She went into labor not long ago, but she's asking for Goku," the young Namekian explained as Piccolo covertly adjusted himself behind Sofia before appearing next to her. "I'm not sure how much time until the baby comes—"

"I'll go get Goku, don't worry, Dende. In the meantime," Sofia began before turning to Piccolo. "You need to go help Gohan. I'll be there as soon as I get Goku from Otherworld," she remarked, gaze focused and naughty session stowed for later as she leaned up and kissed him on his lips just as he was about to ask something. "No time, we'll talk when I get back!"

With that declared, she raised her fore and middle finger to her forehead, closed her eyes and concentrated on the power level she was homing in on before she suddenly disappeared in a whish of air.

Snapping his fingers to materialize his caped shoulder pads and turban, Piccolo grunted as he pressed the button on the side of the Simulator that instantaneously re-encapsulated it. Cleansing breath exhaling through his nose as he willed his aroused and frazzled energy away, he stowed the capsule and turned to Dende as he crossed his arms, glancing down at the younger Namekian. "…Why would Gohan need my help?" he begrudgingly inquired, unsure he wanted to go to Son's house and deal with an insanely irate Chi-Chi.

"Oh, maybe the midwife isn't there yet, so he'll need help conducting the checks during labor?" Dende replied, shrugging. "I guess it would be inappropriate for Gohan to do it himself—"

"Wait, check what?" Piccolo began to get wary.

"Well, the vaginal examinations to see how far the cervix is dilated, for one—"

Piccolo blanched, blue blush crossing his mortified features as he balked, "WHAT?! I'm NOT doing that!"

"Then I hope Chi-Chi has a midwife," Dende replied with genuine calm, staring up at Piccolo as the seasoned warrior seemed to recoil. "If not…"

'For the love of Shenron…' Piccolo muttered. 'Alright, you two have to help me—!'

'Uh, yeah…I don't think I'm at all equipped to offer any help,' Nail neutrally remarked.

'I can talk you through it, but really, Piccolo. A vaginal examination shouldn't be anything _too_ new for you—'

Kami's witty retort was cut short by Piccolo barking, 'Forget it! Just shut up and _never_ repeat that _again_!'

* * *

The lovely meadow was Grand Kai's favorite spot to lounge at, out of his traditional robes and in his denim threads, leather boots tapping idly to the beat of the music playing on his trusty boombox, while his sunglass-covered eyes watched the fighters in the sky spar at an intense speed. "Man, these guys never quit with da training…" he sighed, gloved hands lacing together to pillow the back of his head as he stretched out on his back with a relaxed exhale.

Meanwhile, King Kai was across the meadow arguing with West Kai, having wagered that Pikkon would beat Goku in less than 10 minutes, causing the light-blue Kai's expression to darken in consternation.

"You pompous ignoramus! They're _sparring_ , not battling, so quit trying to pick a damn fight with me—"

"You're just saying that because you KNOW my warrior is better than yours!" West Kai goaded, pulling his eyelid down of his monocle-free eye and sticking his tongue out at the other Kai.

Above them, Pikkon and Goku were sparring away, phasing in and out across the sky, until they finally clashed over the small pond adjacent to the meadow. Fingers laced against each other's palms as they warred to push the other on the offense, Goku couldn't help smirk at Pikkon as he quipped, "Those two should just spar themselves! Might help their rivalry simmer, dontcha think?"

"I don't think divinities are allowed to fight each other in earnest, Goku," the green-humanoid warrior retorted sagaciously as he went at the Saiyan with a parry of combos that put him on the defense. "Now – focus on your own fight!"

"Geez! I'm just making convo," Goku lamely chortled as he easily blocked every blow and phased high in the sky to get into his iconic stance. "C'mon," he taunted, gesturing confidently with his hand for Pikkon to come at him.

Scowling, the disciplined warrior got in his own stance and began to size up the Saiyan. Just when he'd decided on his next attack, a flash of movement above Goku caught his attention.

Sensing the shift before feeling it, Goku barely had time to look over his shoulder when a form appeared behind him and collided with his back, comically propelling them both in a surprised tangle to fall down from the air to land in a big splash into the pond below. Pikkon – having dodged getting caught up in the fall, blinked confusedly down at the water's surface as Goku burst free with a gasp of breath, followed by a mysterious woman who splashed up for a hungry gulp of air next to him. It took the other warrior a split second to notice the woman did not have a halo above her head.

"Holy crap—Sofia! Where'd you come from?!" Goku exclaimed as he trudged up to the shore and helped pull her up and out of the water.

Coughing, she wringed the water out of her hair and shook the water out of her boots once they were back on dry terrain. The Kais who'd been arguing had now rushed over to see what the commotion was about while Grand Kai remained at his spot, only sitting up on his elbows to watch the scene from the distance.

"Sorry, Goku. I really suck at homing in with Instant Transmission. I literally teleport in right on top of the ki signature I was pinged onto," she huffed, shaking the remaining water from her head before grunting and deciding to use a precise blast of ki to radiate outward and instantly dry her.

"Ah, yeah – that's a pain to get down, but hey, you made it all the way here in one jump? That's impressive," the jovial Saiyan remarked as he patted her heartily on the back.

"Who _is_ that?! How come she doesn't have a halo?!" West Kai hissed over at King Kai, who dramatically shushed him.

"It's been a few months! What brings you up to Grand Kai's planet?" Goku inquired congenially, turning when Pikkon landed close by. "Oh! Sofia, you gotta meet Pikkon," he interrupted her as he pulled her over to the other warrior. "Doesn't he remind you of Piccolo?" he conspiratorially whispered to her, eyes like little dots slid slyly over to her as he elbowed her suggestively.

"Uh, sure! And it's very nice to meet you, Pikkon," she bowed, earning a grunt of intrigue from the white and blue battle gi-attired fighter. "Goku: We gotta head home. Chi-Chi's in labor!" Sofia spun comically and shook the Saiyan by the shoulders. "She's asking for you and there's no telling how long it'll take for the baby to arrive—"

"WHAT?! She's having the baby? Already?" Goku gaped, scratching his haphazard spiky haired head. "Man, time flies when you're training!"

"No it doesn't, Kakarot!" she barked and bonked him on the head, causing his halo to flicker oddly, which finally caught Grand Kai's interest. "Look, if I don't get you there before the baby is born, you _know_ there'll be hell to pay—"

"Now, hold on a minute."

Pausing, they all turned as Grand Kai loped over, leaving his boombox where it sat, and leaned appraisingly into Goku's space before doing the same with Sofia, causing her to balance backwards on her heels.

"You ain't got a halo, girlie, so who gave yah permission to come to my world, hmm?" the sunglasses-wearing Kai remarked as he idly brushed his hand over his long white beard. "You ain't dead, and I swear I just saw something funky happen with Goku's halo there—"

"Not to be rude, Grand Kai, but I'll just be super blunt: I gotta get Goku home or his wife will kill him for real—"

"Ahah! So that means this guy isn't even allowed to be here," West Kai interjected obnoxiously, causing King Kai to sneer and hiss in disdain. "You hafta disqualify him and kick him out, my lord—!"

"So you're not dead?" Pikkon inquired to Goku, who was now sheepishly chuckling.

"Huh, in all my time, I haven't had anyone pull this stunt," Grand Kai grumbled, thick white brows furrowing in thought. "What to do…"

"Wait!" Everyone paused when Sofia exclaimed and gestured wildly to be heard. "Ok look – we all know you're not really about enforcing rules, your rocking exalted one, so let me be clear: I wished for Goku to have an Otherworld pass so he could train here on your planet, but that was granted by a Dragon, which is a mystical being technically as powerful as you, however it doesn't trump you, but it _would_ be a ton of hassle if you insisted on reversing the wish. Aka, you'd have to _do_ work to fix something that ain't hurting anybody," Sofia lobbied Grand Kai, leaning in to add as an aside, "Can you imagine all the paperwork and boring rule-making you'd have to do just to enforce such a wish reversal? Is that really worth time away from rocking and relaxing?"

Balking, West Kai was left speechless as Grand Kai hummed in consideration. "Well…if the wish was granted, that ain't something I can fuss with, so why try it," he mused, finger tapping at his bearded chin. "I'll even let it slide that a mortal teleported to my planet, as long as you keep this hush-hush from Yema. That guy is a stickler for rules," he remarked and grinned when Sofia nodded vigorously. "You'll have Goku return once he's done back on Earth?"

"You have my word! Plus, I gotta come back and find out where to get those awesome tunes. That's some rocking guitar solos I hear," Sofia chimed, holding up the devil horns and smirking with a twinkle in her eye.

"Ah! A fellow music lover!? Out of sight! Come back any time then – Sofia was it?" he exclaimed, shaking her hand and adding, "Bring me some of your favorite albums too. Always nice to get into new tunes."

"I will!" she chuckled, bowing in farewell before grabbing Goku and whispering, "You take us home. I'm afraid of pinging onto Gohan and teleporting to land on top of him."

"Hee-hee-hee-hee, sure thing. Nice smooth talking back there," he chortled affably as he put his hand on her shoulder and raised his two fingers up to his forehead. "We're putting a pause on this spar until I get back, Pikkon!"

"Fine by me," the regal warrior smirked despite himself, watching as the two odd beings suddenly winked out of sight.

"Hmmm, groovy," Grand Kai mused, giving King Kai an ominous glance as he drawled, "Let's go take a load off, North Kai, so you can fill me in on who Goku's friend is."

"W-well, of course, my lord! It'd be my pleasure," King Kai nasally replied, leaving West Kai to sputter as he followed the pointy-eared, white haired and jean-clad being back up to where his boombox was still playing.

Musingly, the rock-aficionado Kai murmured to himself absently, "Can't help but have a case of déjà vu for some reason…"

* * *

Piccolo's usually stoic expression was etched in petrified tension as he heard Chi-Chi wail at the top of her lungs in the other room from a particularly sharp contraction. He couldn't help to sullenly think that this was the worst day of his life. He was in his former nemesis's home while his harpy wife was giving birth to what would surely be _another_ Son powerhouse that would surpass him in strength, and all he could do was cringe at every shout that echoed through the quaint home and rung in his ears while Gohan frantically rifled through his bedroom in search for some elusive anatomy book.

"Go _han_! You better find that thing quick—!" he began to warn in a bark up the stairs when the demi-Saiyan stumbled comically down the steps to land in a heap at Piccolo's moccasin-clad feet.

"Ok! I found it," he hurriedly tossed the book open and fanned through it. "Mom told me she'd bought it when she was pregnant with me—ahah! Here it is." Crouching down to look at the section his friend had landed on, Piccolo's left eye immediately began to twitch at the illustrations. "For a home birth, we need to boil water, soak towels in it, and count the time between contractions—oh! Wait…" skimming a particular section again, the raven-haired pre-teen looked up at his former-sensei-turned-best-friend. "Uhhh…it says to see if her water's broken."

Piccolo genuinely stared at him as if the concept was completely beyond him. 'Water?! She's going to _spring_ a _leak_?!' he balked gruffly at his counterparts.

'…No, Piccolo. That's the term for when the amniotic sac around the fetus breaks. When that happens, labor will intensify as her cervix dilates—'

'Porunga's Grace, that sounds intense—'

"—pa said it'd take him an hour or so to get here with the midwife, but I don't know if Mom can wait that long," Gohan's worried refrain pulled Piccolo's attention back.

Seeing the concern etched in the young fighter's face snapped him back to a stoic calm as he stood and loomed over him. "Alright, you get started on those steps. I'll go check on her…"

Gohan was surprised, but shook off his need to question him at his mother's next shout of pain. Rushing to the kitchen to dig for a large pot, fill it with water, and get it heated, Gohan was dashing across the house to the linen closet for the rest of the supplies.

Piccolo took a cleansing breath and steeled himself, turning on his heel – cape sweeping behind him – as he stalked down the hall to the bedroom with the door ajar as if he was about to take on a fearsome enemy.

Before he got to the door, however, a flash of orange, blue and burgundy materialized in front of him and forced him to skid backwards. Eyes widening in shock before comically balking in relief, Piccolo exclaimed, "Oh, thank _Kami_ , you made it!"

Standing in the hall, Goku blinked at him while Sofia wheezed in startled awe as Piccolo picked her up and squeezed her to him, sensing the mortified energy wash out of him from an unknown crisis averted.

"Is Chi-Chi ok?" Goku inquired, and before anyone could answer, his wife let out another moan of pain. Rushing to turn and burst through the door, the orange-clad fighter saw her standing at the foot of their bed, hunched over and gripping the footboard. She was in her delicate nightgown, hair down and fanning out down her back as she whimpered. "Chi-Chi! I'm here—"

"Goku?" she half turned, weary reassurance washing over her until she spotted the halo above his head. "Oh no, don't tell me you're _dead_ – again!?"

"Huh? Oh! No, this is just cuz I'm wearing my Otherworld Pass," he explained as he took the badge off and put it on top of the dresser next to the doorway as he rushed over and took her in his arms.

"Dad!" Gohan rushed in, boiling water and towels balanced in his mitten-clad hands as he set everything aside to hug his father and help his mother to lie on the bed. "C'mon, Mom. You shouldn't be on your feet."

Sofia glanced at the discarded book on the floor and saw the anatomical illustrations before glancing over at Piccolo. "At least tell me you've been keeping count between the contractions…?" she mildly asked, a twinkle of humor in her crimson eyes.

"About 5-6 minutes apart," he answered tensely, sweatdropping when she gasped and shoved him away from the door. "What's that mean—?"

"It means you stay out here with Gohan while Goku and I take care of her," Sofia instructed as she rushed into the room, yanked Gohan up by the back of his shirt, and put him out before swiftly shutting the door to their wide-eyed stares.

Glancing at each other, Piccolo and Gohan heard another wail of pain come from the room. Seeing how nervous Gohan became, Piccolo placed his hand on the pre-teen's shoulder. "Don't worry, kid," he encouraged gruffly. "Why don't you go wait for your grandfather to arrive? I'll stay here in case they need anything."

Nodding, Gohan ran to the front door, grateful for the reprieve.

Meanwhile, Sofia went into helper mode, grabbing the pair of gloves and tugging them onto her pointy-nailed hands before prepping the towels, sterilizing them in the pot of hot water while Goku sat behind Chi-Chi on the bed to give her back the right amount of support while letting her grip his forearms and hands as a particularly sharp pain threatened to hunch her over.

"I-I was so afraid you wouldn't be here," she stammered through the foggy pain, glancing up at Goku, eyes trembling with glossy adoration.

"I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner, hun," the usually goofy Saiyan soberly mused, pressing a kiss to Chi-Chi's temple.

Sofia instructed Goku to help her get Chi-Chi more settled on the bed so she could take a peek at how far along she was. Holding the hem of her nightgown up against the woman's parted knees, she saw that her water had long broken. "Ok…I think you're almost completely dilated, so pretty soon the baby's going to start pushing…"

Through the door, Piccolo could hear Sofia soothingly encouraging Chi-Chi through it, while Goku went quiet as his wife whimpered and cried out when she began the painful process of pushing. He was on pins and needles, not knowing what he should do to help. 'I can't believe humans do this…' he muttered, his astonishment hidden by his curt tone.

'The miracle of life,' Kami mused serenely. 'It might be overwhelming to us, but it's no less beautiful.'

Glancing at the illustration of a baby coming out of a woman's vaginal canal on the page of the book Gohan had left discarded by the stairs, Piccolo shuddered internally. 'Sure…' he skeptically drawled.

"Ok, you gotta really push hard now, Chi! Yeah, just like that—ah! I can see the head!" he heard Sofia exclaim, turning his attention back to the closed door. "The baby's crowning, so just a few more pushes, ok? C'mon! You can do it. One-two-three, _push_!"

He heard Chi-Chi keen in frustrated effort, Goku murmuring, "You got this, Chi-Chi!"

'Gohan! Come back here now,' Piccolo telepathically shouted, feeling the tug of his rapport with the younger fighter engaging before a few seconds later, the demi-Saiyan came barreling through the front door to rush down the hall.

Just as he came up to Piccolo, they suddenly heard the cry of a wailing baby.

"You did it!" they heard Sofia gasp. "It's a baby boy! Congratulations!" she exclaimed, her exuberance gushing out.

In the room, Chi-Chi was panting raggedly, a tired smile on her features while Goku beamed behind her and hugged her lovingly, nuzzling the side of her head as he whispered sweet nothings in her ear.

Sofia dutifully took the wriggling, healthy baby and cleaned him off before wrapping a dry towel around him and handing him to his mother, who dotingly held him against her bosom and soothed him. "My precious, little angel," the raven-haired woman cooed while Goku stared down in awe at his newest son, marveling at how his hair was spiky – _just like mine_ – while the child's prehensile tail unfurled and wrapped around Chi-Chi's wrist, seeking comfort. "You're our little Goten," she mused, kissing his forehead while the babe settled down in the warmth of her embrace.

Gushingly overcome, Sofia sniffled when Goku looked across at her and gave her such a tender, proud look. "Thanks for making this happen," he said, the genuine feeling like a warm embrace that made her heart swell.

Going to open the door, Sofia shot a dazzling glance at Piccolo before darting down to Gohan. "Want to meet your little brother?"

Bursting with glee, Gohan rushed into the room and to the side of the bed, eyes wide and sparkling with joy as Chi-Chi introduced her first born to his sibling.

Pressing against the doorframe, Sofia wiped a happy tear from her eye just before Piccolo sidled against her, letting her lean against him as he wrapped his forearm to affectionately embrace her across the collarbones so he could nuzzle the top of her head.

'I am _so_ glad you got here when you did,' he actually sighed over their rapport, earning a silly smile from her.

Watching the now family of four bond, she playfully retorted, 'Please tell me you wouldn't have let Gohan manage the delivery on his own—'

'Hell no, but that doesn't mean I wanted to ever lay eyes on anything underneath her gown, let alone watch that kid come out of her—'

Sofia had to stifle a manic laugh at the cringing pitch of his grumble as he tried to submerge another shudder at the mere mention.

"WE'RE HERE!"

The house shook as the front door was thrown open and a frazzled Ox King stomped in at a stampeding pace with a gaping woman hanging on for dear life in his arms as he came to a skidding halt into the room after Piccolo whisked himself and Sofia out of his charging path.

"Dad, come meet your new grandson," Chi-Chi cheerfully beckoned, cuddling the baby in her arms as Goku helped her sit up and settled the blanket over her lap.

Eyes already brimming over with comically overjoyed tears, the burly man put the midwife down and went over to the side of the bed Goku was sitting behind Chi-Chi at as he fawned over the little babe.

"Well, looks like I did NOT need to be roused from my nap, so I'll be waiting outside, Ox King!" the frazzled woman grumbled as she straightened her appearance and shuffled out of the bedroom. "Congratulations!"

"Oh my goodness – this little tyke looks just like you, Goku!" the gentle giant of a man mused, slapping Goku cheerfully on the back while the Saiyan chuckled warmly.

Once everyone had their time to gush and fuss over the new baby, Sofia helped get the baby dressed before swaddling him. Goku took Goten in his arms, cradling him carefully against his chest and ushering everyone out so Chi-Chi could get some much-needed rest.

Piccolo stood off to the side in the living room, an aloof spectator as everyone took a turn at holding the little infant while they chatted. Watching Sofia smile down at the baby when she held him in her arms, he couldn't help that odd, phantom stirring of warmth itch to life behind his ribcage.

"You wanna hold him?"

Tensing, Piccolo glanced at Goku, who'd come up to grin beside him. "I don't think so, Goku—"

"Awww, c'mon! All you gotta do is hold your arms like this, cradle his head, and don't drop him," the affable Saiyan chimed as he pantomimed the instructions.

Scowling, Piccolo was about to snap curtly at his former archrival when Sofia walked from the couch and approached them. "See, Goten? This is Piccolo. He acts all grumpy and mean, but he's a softy, I promise," she murmured sweetly to the child, and before he could avoid it, wide, innocent glossy ebony eyes were on his as the baby smiled at him. Glancing at Sofia, her crimson gaze and warm smile made the tension in his shoulders slacken, slightly.

Letting her gently place the baby in his awkwardly cradled arms, Piccolo tersely glanced at Goku when he chuckled in that irreverent way he found annoying, before staring down at the baby. Wearing a light blue cotton onesie and a diaper underneath, the infant grabbed a little fistful of the front of his cape canopy, tugging idly at it as he smiled up at Piccolo.

"Yep, he's a Son," Piccolo muttered, glimpsing Gohan and Ox King grin at the rare sight before staring down at the demi-Saiyan dwarfed in his cradled arms. "Stupid grin, and big wide eyes. And the crazy, goofy hair—"

The baby giggled and swung his foot out, clipping Piccolo on his chin, comically. Sofia had been covertly getting ready to snap a picture on her smartphone and caught the baby kick and her twin's star flummoxed and hilariously perturbed expression. "Oh man, that's getting framed, hahah!" she laughed as Piccolo sweatdropped and glared down his nose at the giggling baby while his father and brother laughed in almost the exact same cadence around him.

Huffing, he dryly groused, "I'll remember that when we spar for the first time, kid."

* * *

The cool night air was edging across the expanse of the desert, a contrast to the warm stone beneath her and the warmth of his side. She curled against him more once he wrapped part of his cape around her shoulder and affectionately circled her waist. Pressing her nose against the side of his throat, she inhaled and exhaled a wistful sigh, soothed by his scent, while he nuzzled a kiss against her temple, smiling against her skin when she tightened her embrace around him.

Basking in the calm silence, they unwound from the hectic day – having left the Son cottage to let the family bond around their new bundle of joy. Deciding to spend some time on their own, they ended up back at their favorite place to watch a sunset, enjoying the serenity of the moment where the world dipped from the fiery gold to dusk, and only they seemed privy to the majesty of it all – sitting side by side.

Sitting at an outcropping across from the brilliant, incandescent sunset, the twin stars relished the feeling of being peacefully next to each other. Everything felt perfect – _right_ in the world around them. The brisk breeze tussled her hair to languidly flutter around her while his cape danced in the current, trailing across the bare skin of her arm while he stole a glance at her. Tucking one of the rogue stands behind her ear, Piccolo smirked as he murmured, "You got that pensive look."

"Do I?" Sofia snickered.

"Yes. Go ahead. Tell me what you want to say but don't think you should," he rumbled in her ear, making her buzz with enchantment as his hand caressed her arm.

"You're just gonna tell me I'm rambling," she dismissed humorously, laying her head against his shoulder as she stared out at the sunset.

"Try me," he nudged her affectionately, leaning close.

Sighing, she turned to meet his gaze. The sunset played across his chiseled features, shading his left side while highlighting the right. "Well…I was thinking about what's next. What…what do we do now?"" she mused, eyes crinkling at the corners when he smirked. "What?"

Admiring the way the sun's rays bleeding into the horizon framed her heart-shaped face, defining her high cheekbone and accentuating the definition of her delicate nose and curves of her soft lips, he couldn't help but feel pride that this crimson-eyed sprite was all his.

"We don't have to do anything," he replied simply, finally. When she raised a delicate brow at that, he grunted. "There's no other insane sagas or villains we have to worry about for the next 7 years. You said so yourself, so…we don't have to do anything. We can just do whatever we want. I want to be with you," he murmured, tone hitting that gravelly pitch at the last thing he said, eyes lowering to appraisingly hold hers as he caressed the back of his knuckles along the curve of her cheek. "What do you want?"

Expression softening, her crimson eyes narrowed impishly. "You. Naked. Every day, for infinity," she purred, watching as the purple blush tinted his cheekbones. "And to be with you, always."

Smirking, his eyes flickered to her mouth, convinced the delicate beauty mark that skirted it was designed to always pull his attention to the seductive lips that were pulling into that dazzling smile that always made him feel punch-drunk. Flicking his gaze back up to hers, he leaned close, until they were a breath stroke away, and drawled, "I'm good with that," before pressing his lips to hers. She hummed into it, smiling against his lips before he deepened the kiss.

And that was it. Nothing foreboding, no angst or worry – not even a hint of stress, as they both sealed their fate to being with each other and walking the rejoined path into a near-future not wholly known, and free of concern or threat. Sofia basked in the feeling of contentment that washed over her – heart, body and soul deep as Piccolo held her to him. Piccolo felt centered and fulfilled, proud at having her be his.

The twin stars were staring ahead, gratified in being the other's touchstone.

All that lay before them was the promise of more, and the thrill of facing it together – by each other's sides.

* * *

Out in the recesses of uncharted space, floating in the darkness of a long dimming nebula, a ship of unknown origins meandered silently. The beeping of dormant screens was the only ambient noise in the being's awareness, an absent distraction. Mind wandering over the recent report from the Northern quadrant of the universe, the being dimly recalled why such things mattered. The area unexplored – _missed until now_ – teeming with stories that defied logic. _Must discover for myself…_

It was the perfect place to look.

It could be his last resort.

Dismissing the thought, the being sneered, and decided it would be the next place for conquest, dominion, and the return of the supremacy that had been fleetingly held.

_Earth. It's for the taking._

The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you made it this far, thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the story. And if anyone is wondering: Yes - there is a lot more story to come involving the twin stars, but whether I write it or not will depend on timing, inspo, and yes - feedback~! There is so much still to unravel and reveal, so hopefully there's interest in reading more about these two?
> 
> -ROGUEFURY

**Author's Note:**

> **Thanks for reading! Please consider leaving a review and sharing your positive, constructive feedback. I would be eternally grateful to receive reader's comments.**
> 
> **As most, I'm on[tumblr](https://furious-rogue-stuff.tumblr.com/), so come say hello, or [ask me](https://furious-rogue-stuff.tumblr.com/ask) something. Q&A fun is fun.**


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